Time Stops
by Lzsmith8
Summary: Archie-centric:: A shift of power in the team may end up destroying them before they can achieve their destinies. Can they hold themselves together, and keep the team from falling apart, or will Cronus finally succeed? Just got 1,500 hits! Thank you!
1. Headaches and Homework

Author's Note: O.K, this is the first time I've ever worked up the guts to post something I've written. And yes this is a Theresa/Archie pairing. I don't really know why, I just like the pairing. This idea has been floating around in my head for a while now and it wouldn't go away. So I wrote it down. Tell me what you think!

Disclaimer: I own a cat, a dog, and a box full of comic books. But Cott? Nope!

Time Stops

Archie leaned against a marble pillar, closing his eyes as he tried to catch his breath. He had just escaped early from Ares and his grilling practice, and was now focusing and making sure his lungs were still working. He leaned his head back against the pillar, breathing slowly through his nose.

"I don't know what's wrong with me Persephone, I just can't..." Archie's head snapped up as Theresa's normally cheerful voice broke down into tears. He started to push himself away from the pillar, having no intentions of overhearing anything about the resident drama queen, possibly his least favorite team member, and a constant thorn-in-his-side.

But before he could make his escape, Persephone's gentle voice interrupted him. "Theresa, my dear, please, you need to calm down!"

The purple-haired teen suppressed a groan. He was definitely not going to try to sneak away now, he didn't want to accidentally get caught eavesdropping by the Queen of the Underworld.

"Now, tell me what is going on. You don't normally get this weakened after a vision, do you?" Persephone asked.

There was silence for a moment, and Archie unconsciously docked his head to the side, trying not to miss anything in a conversation that was suddenly something he needed to hear. "I-I've just started getting these horrible migraines the past few times I've gotten visions. Oh, Persephone it's getting so hard..." she broke off again, crying, deep heart-wrenching sobs that shook Archie to his core.

_Migraines? Since when has Theresa ever gotten migraines?_ Ever since Archie had known the fiery redhead, he had never seen her sick. Even during the week when the flu had raged through the dorm, taking down everyone but himself and her, she hadn't even looked sick. They had spent the week taking care of the rest of the team, giving each other exasperated looks every time they'd passed each other walking down the halls towards (or away from) the latest disaster. Now she was getting migraines because of her visions? It was both unsettling and a little scary to know the annoying, fiery, headstrong girl could be so weakened by something the entire group took for granted. Her visions were often the only reason they all walked away from Cronus, the maniac Time God bent on World Destruction, intact.

For a moment, Archie wanted to follow after the two women as he heard their voices fade as they moved away, but then he remembered that he wasn't supposed to be listening to them, and he sighed, leaning back against the pillar once more.

"Archie?" Blinking out of his thoughts, Archie looked up to see Herry standing before him, a confused look on his face. "What are you doing Arch? Still exhausted by Ares' workout?"

Quickly deciding to let Theresa tell the others what was going on on her own, Archie gave the muscled youth in front of him a smirk. "Me? Exhausted?" He rolled his eyes for added effect, "No way man! Now lets you and I go and grab some burgers, eh?"

Herry's big grin at the mention of food made Archie chuckle as he pushed off the pillar he had still been leaning on and walked away from the hidden hall of the school. He tried, and was mostly successful in pushing his worries about Theresa out of his mind as he followed Herry to his truck. _Let the drama queen take care of herself. She's not going to appreciate my help anyways..._

What are you doing to me? I don' t understand anymore and I'm afraid of losing myself...

**That Evening**

Archie, Odie and Neil marched into the brownstone, laughing at a joke from Odie. They were greeted by most of the rest of the team, who all gave them cheerful "hi!"s or "What took you so long? I'm starving!"

Grinning at Herry, Archie snapped back playfully, "Easy Herry. We're back, no need to get so worked up!"

Atlanta rolled her eyes, standing up from her seat, "All right then, since you guys took so long getting back, you can wash the dishes tonight. And no Neil, I **don't** care if you just had your nails done, you still doing them!" Ignoring the groans from the three boys, Atlanta waltzed out of the sitting room.

Archie's eyes followed her as she walked away, before he shook his head, clearing it. Atlanta was pretty, smart, cheeky, fast, brave, and many other things, but she was also his best friend. He had come to terms with the fact that this was not going to change, and tried not to think of the spunky redhead any other way.

He rolled his eyes at Neil, who was still whining over "having to do a chore that was so beneath him, why was Atlanta so mean to him, what had he ever done to her, blah, blah blah..." and strolled down the hall towards his room. He glanced at Theresa's open door as he passed it, noting she was not there, and continued down the hall, reminding himself to leave her alone. Reaching his room, he pulled his backpack off, and dumped it on the floor. He thought about doing his homework, then resolved to not spend so much time thinking about homework (A.N.: The author in no way endorses not doing your homework. Get it done people!).

Unzipping his sweater, he tugged it off and tossed it in the direction of his laundry basket, before walking over to his bed and collapsing on it. Putting his hands behind his head as he stared up at his roof, he tried to keep his mind blank, not wanting to think about anything for a while. He was unsuccessful.

_Crap. How am I supposed to ignore Theresa if she won't get out of my head? _Archie scowled to himself as he remembered the broken sobs he had heard from the Fighter not an hour ago. _What's going on with her anyways? She's never gotten sick before, so what's the deal with her migraines? _Sitting up with a groan, Archie couldn't help but picture Theresa's normally beautiful face, contorted in pain. _Argh, __Archie, stop thinking about her!_

Half-irritated, half-concerned, the annoyed teen pulled himself out of bed, and walked out of his room. He had no idea why he was suddenly so concerned with the annoying drama queen, but it was irritating that he couldn't stop himself from worrying about her.

Shaking his head as he walked down the hall once again, Archie decided he would suck it up and ask Theresa if everything was O.K.. _And when she gets defensive and tears my head off, what am I going to say? "Sorry I just happened to hear you when you were talking to Persephone, and I wanted to make sure you weren't dieing on us?" Right, Archie great plan._ Rolling his eyes, he made his way to the kitchen and the alluring smells coming from it, still debating with himself.

_To be continued...(eventually)_

A.N.: EDIT ALERT!! I looked over my chapter and found a few things that could be fixed. I don't have a beta reader yet, so I have to catch my mistakes on my own. Sorry about the suckiness... Now Review more, and make me happy!

R'n'R!


	2. Meatballs and Teammates

A.N.: Yo! I'm back, with another 'exciting' segment of Time Stops. Aren't you people happy I updated so quickly? This chapter is a proper introduction to the characters, the good guys anyways. (To tell the truth, this is mostly a intro chapter that I didn't feel like posting last time. It might be a little boring, but it's going to get better I promise!)

OMG!! I got reviews!! W00t! Thank you to those of you who reviewed, I really appreciate it.

Disclaimer: I own about eighty pairs of socks, and a cheap desk lamp. But Cott? Nope!

Time Stops When...

Archie flinched as his chair scrapped noisily against the floor, making everyone groan. Sending his teammates an apologetic grin, he picked up his fork and started in on his dinner, a massive plate of spaghetti and meatballs. Chuckling at Herry's enthusiastic eating, Archie glanced around the table, taking in the familiar faces of his teammates and his friends.

Seated to his left, scowling at his empty glass of milk, sat the team leader, Jay, the all-too-serious youth who spent most of his time stressing over Cronus, and who was already looking far more aged than what he really was. When he wasn't looking for new ways to track down Cronus, Jay was training, or working, or reading. He wasn't the funnest guy to be around, though this wasn't unexpected, with what he had on his shoulders. But Jay was a capable leader, and Archie knew he was someone who would give his life up for a friend, and Archie respected him for this.

On his right, cheerfully dumping mounds of grated cheese on her plate of meaty sauce and noodles, sat Atlanta, the spunky huntress who was his best friend. Competitive, hard-headed and a total greenie, she was a goofy little punk who could pin a target at over a hundred feet (as Ares once called her). Archie sometimes felt he could trust Atlanta more than anyone else on the planet, but he was a little intimidated by her as well. She might be small, but more often then not she could kick his butt in just about anything.

Neil, the group's lucky charm, sat at the head of the table. He was as shallow as a puddle, blonder than anyone else Archie had ever met, and one of the handsomest boys in New Olympia (according to himself). Archie had at first been uncertain if the youth really was a hero, but he had to admit that Neil was the luckiest person he had ever met, which gave him an advantage in nearly everything. He won on scratch tickets, coin tosses, even rock-paper-scissors. Sometime he won by default because no one else bothered to play against him. But Archie was sure that even though Neil was a shallow, snobby, pretty-boy; he was also one of the most loyal members of the team, willing to take risks for the team that no one else would have dared to do. Archie would never admit it out loud, but he sometimes thought Neil was the bravest one of them all, despite his habit of girlie shrieking every time he saw anything with more than four legs come after him.

Across from Jay, leaning forward to drive a point home in an argument with Neil, sat Odie, the smartest person Archie knew. The brains of the team, he was never far away from technology and was happiest when he was messing with gears, knobs, or buttons. This sometimes resulted in explosions from Odie's room at odd hours of the night, but the end results were always impressive. Archie had once been told that their respective ancestors had been close friends, and after spending several late nights getting his butt handed to him in every wrestling video game known to man by the younger boy, while eating mounds of popcorn with him, Archie could see why. Odie was the one Archie always felt he could talk to, even about things he couldn't share with anyone else.

Beside Odie, across from Archie, sat the muscular Herry. Archie had seen Herry do things no normal human being on the planet could ever dream of trying. From uprooting trees, to pinning angry three headed dogs, to heaving boulders at angry sea monsters, Herry was the ever steady rock that kept the team together. His strength and courage (and massive appetite) made him an admired man everywhere. He was an easy-going, constantly hungry guy, and he was also easy to get along with, and it was easy for Archie to spend an afternoon with Herry. He was also one of the only people on the planet who could successfully put Archie in a headlock.

A small frown appeared on Archie's face as he glanced down the table at the last member of the team. Theresa didn't even look as though she was entirely listening to Atlanta, who was chattering away about something that had happened at school today. Archie never really spent any more of his time than necessary with the team's physic, and there was no secret as to why. Simply put, Archie and Theresa didn't get along. The thin redhead was a drama queen, always taking everything he said to her in offense, and never backed down from an argument with him. Their fights were never physical (Archie knew he could probably take her, but he also knew how protective the rest of the team was of her), but sometimes their fights were really screaming matches, trying to outshout each other. Archie had known Theresa for nearly two years now, and he still had yet to decide what he thought about her. Sometimes she drove him up the wall, other times she opened up to him so easily he almost felt that they were almost friends...almost.

"Archie?" Archie nearly dropped his fork as Atlanta nudged him, staring at him with concern. "You alright? You've been pretty quiet tonight."

Grinning sheepishly at the girl beside him, he quickly said, "No, no, I'm fine. Just got a lot on my mind tonight."

Theresa snorted indelicately, sending him a sharp, angry look, "Since when do you ever have anything on your mind besides girls and wrestling?"

He rolled his eyes, "Oh, that's right Theresa, I never have a thought outside those two topics." He could have said something to piss her off, and start a fight that would've lasted the rest of the evening, but one glance at the girl's angry green eyes told him he probably would end up with his head torn off if he tried to annoy Theresa tonight.

Theresa sent him a quick, confused glance, before refocusing on her plate, frowning. Archie bit his tongue to hide his smirk as the rest of the team shared confused looks. _Since when did Archie _ever_ turn down a chance to fight with Theresa? _

_I'm just being nicer because of her migraines. _Archie's eyebrows furrowed as he stared at his mostly empty plate._ Since when do I care anything about being nice for Theresa? It's not like she knows that I know. _He shoveled the last of his spaghetti into his mouth._ Even if she did, she wouldn't want me treating her differently. _Shaking his head, he pushed his chair away from the table._ Oh boy. How did one conversation change so much about me and Theresa? _

"Alright I'm done for the evening. I'm going for a run." Standing, Archie picked up his plate and carried it to the sink, avoiding his teammates' eyes. Dumping his fork and spoon into the sink, he placed his plate on the counter and turned back to the team. "I'll be back later tonight. I'll put away the dishes for you, Neil."

Neil just nodded, staring up at Archie with raised eyebrows. Odie and Herry glanced around at him similar frowns on their faces. Even Jay glanced up at him. Archie stared down at them for a moment, before rolling his eyes and walking away. _My teammates are weird..._

Grabbing his jacket off it's hook, the Warrior started for the door, intending to run until he couldn't think anymore. Before he could reach the front door, however, there was a scrape as a chair was pushed away from the table, and Atlanta came rushing out of the kitchen after him, a big grin on her face, "Mind if I join you, Arch? I don't feel like sticking around and watching another corny late night movie again." She explained.

Archie opened his mouth to tell her no, but instead said, "Sure Atlanta, if you want to. I'll wait outside for you." Atlanta nodded eagerly and darted down the hall to grab her coat. Grinning at her enthusiasm, Archie turned and walked out the door, trying not to hear the unusual silence from the kitchen. _Come to think of it, most of the meal was pretty quiet..._

Shrugging off this thought, Archie sat on the stairs in front of the Brownstone, waiting for Atlanta. He had the strangest feeling that the night was going to be a long one...

(To be continued! I promise this time!)

A.N.: O.K., that's chapter two! I know, I know, it's not that exciting, but I promise chapter three will include shouting, screaming, visions and an appearance of everyones' favorite evil time god Cronus!! (Not necessarily in that order)

Review!


	3. Coffee and Scars

A. N.: Alrighty! I'm back, here to spread more thrills, chills and excitement into your lives. O.K. Maybe not, but I do have the next chapter of 'Time Stops' before me, and I expect lotsa shiny reviews over just how awesome (or not) this is. Running, rooftops andscarring, oh my!

More reviews for the last chapter! OMG! You people rock!

Disclaimer: I own Cott! Really! No, seriously! Hey, where are you going? Guys?

Time Stops When I'm...

Archie and Atlanta were mostly silent as they jogged down the sidewalk, running in sync with each other. Conversation had been started, but now Archie was content to just run, and he was now trying to sort out his thoughts, trying to make sense of his life. 

He had always been different from the rest of the kids he hung out with growing up in Philadelphia. His brace made him the target of many bullies, until he started hitting back, and his cynicism did not help him to make friends. But now, living in the Brownstone, with a group of kids who knew what it felt like to be different from the rest of the world, Archie had started to feel as though he could find his place in the world, with his friends. 

Something of a smirk appeared on Archie's face as this thought floated through his mind. He had never really had many friends before he met Atlanta, Odie and the rest of the team. _Cronus may be a horrible monster bent on world destruction, but there's at least one good thing coming out of this crazy adventure._ Grinning at the thought of Cronus ever doing anything good for anyone, Archie turned his body down a badly paved bike-path, still running in sync with Atlanta.

Blinking out of his thoughts, Archie slowed as he and Atlanta neared a local gas station, which also happened to sell the best coffee in the world (A.N.: No really! Gas stations have the best coffee!).

Atlanta slowed as well, matching his movements, looking up at the over bright lights of the station with something akin to relief on her face, "Sweet! Archie, buy me some chips, pleeeeeaaassseee?"

Archie rolled his eyes. "No way Lannie, I bought you chips last time we were here, remember?"

"Fine, fine..." She mumbled, pouting slightly, as he opened the door for the two of them. He headed for the coffee corner, grinning when he saw a full pot of dark coffee waiting for someone just like him to drink it. Archie poured himself a large cup full of the liquid caffeine, added cream and turned to see Atlanta watching him, her head tilted to the side. 

Blinking at her, Archie asked, "What?"

A teasing smile appeared on her face as she reached out and poked his chest. "You gonna be up all night with that stuff in your system you know. Why do you even drink it when you know you're going to be going to bed soon?"

Rolling his eyes, the Warrior brushed past her, gently bumping her shoulder with his as he passed. Snatching a bag of jerky off it's wall hook, he glanced back at the Huntress with a smug grin on his face. "Alright, so the coffee will kill me someday, I know. I also don't care, so whatever. Now grab your chips so we can get back to the Brownstone already."

The big grin on Atlanta's face told him he was in her good books, and Archie was always happy to be on the younger girl's good side. Nodding at the familiar face of the cashier as he pulled out his wallet, Archie hoped that this was going to be as exciting as this Friday nights' activities was going to get. But Archie getting his wish would be as likely as Poseidon getting him in his damned underwater kingdom. 

I'm holding you up. Just learn to trust me and it will be alright...

Atlanta beat him to the door, and pulled it open, a smug grin on her face as she waved Archie through the door. He couldn't help but ruffle her hair as he passed her, which earned him a punch in the gut, which really didn't hurt at all. But he still groaned dramatically, clutching his side and contorting his face into one of mock pain. 

Atlanta didn't even spare him a glance as she closed the door and walked away. Realizing his audience was gone, Archie straightened, a half sheepish smile on his face. 

Atlanta announced to the world in general that she was going to bed, and marched up the stairs to her room, still not looking back at Archie. He waited until he heard her door close before he rolled his eyes.

Wandering into the kitchen, Archie was surprised to find Jay sitting at the table, his eyebrows furrowed at he glared down at his hands. Raising an eyebrow, he cleared his throat, leaning against the counter as he did so. 

Jay's eyes snapped up, and he looked as though he wanted to bolt from the room for a moment. Archie frowned._ Since when did Jay look so...skittish? _Two men locked eyes for a moment, Archie's cool gaze meeting Jay's deer-in-headlights look. Finally, Archie grinned. "O.K., I'm not sure I even want to know what's going on in that head of yours."

Jay relaxed a little, sitting back in his chair as he gave Archie a shaky smile. "Sorry man. Kinda got lost in my head for a minute there." He ran his hands through his hair, and Archie pretended not to notice how they were shaking. 

Making a decision, Archie pushed off the counter and walked over to the table. He sat down across from his Leader and leaned forward, resting his hands on the table. "Alright Jay, spill it. What's going on with you?" 

Jay sighed, and leaned forward once again, though he didn't meet the Warrior's eyes this time. And if Archie was right, it looked as though the youth was...blushing? A slow grin appeared on his face as he watched Jay squirm.

"I'm failing math alright!" Archie blinked repeatedly at his leader, who started ranting, "I'm under a lot of pressure, with Cronus, and the team, and my parents calling to bug me about my grades, and I'm going a little crazy here man!"

"Apparently." Archie muttered, before leaning back in his chair. "O.K., Jay, this isn't going to be the end of the world. All you need to do is study more for math, and try not to worry so much about Cronus." Archie frowned at the sudden flash of anger on Jay's face. 

Jay leaned forward, glaring at the Warrior, suddenly very serious, "Archie, I can't just **not** worry about Cronus! Taking him down is what we're destined to do! I have to figure out a way defeat him, and I can't do that if you don't take things seriously!"

Archie glowered at his Leader angrily, trying not to lose his temper. He was already dangerously close to saying something he might later regret to Jay. "Look, Jay, maybe you've forgotten this, but taking out Cronus is a team effort. You're not going to do it alone, and you can't expect to figure out how to defeat him without help!"

Jay suddenly pushed his chair away from the table, and got to his feet, glaring daggers at Archie, "If it's a team effort, why do I never see you put in any effort?" Then his eyes widened, as he realized what he just said.

The purple hair youth slowly got to his feet, a deadly look in his eyes. Jay watched apprehensively as Archie slowly rolled his sleeve up. "I never put in any effort, Jay? It that what you call this? No effort? Me not caring?"

Jay's pale face grew even whiter as he stared down at his team member's arm. Three long jagged claw marks ran down the arm, the whitened, dead skin a stark contrast to the untouched pink skin. How he had forgotten those scars was beyond him. One large, angry, Cronus-summoned monster, and a distracted Jay, had resulted in the horrible scar trailing down the other boy's arm. Long story short, the monster had taken a swipe at Jay, and Archie had taken the hit for him. Jay could still remember the scream of pain and anger from Archie as he took the hit for his leader. 

He hadn't even tried to stop fighting the furious monster. A few slashes and a conveniently placed portal later, and the beast was gone, and Archie finally looked down at his bloodied arm, still clutching his whip. Not two seconds after that did the Warrior finally go down, fainting from lost blood and a well cracked arm. The team had gotten their fallen comrade back to the school, and safety in record time, but Archie's arm still remained deeply marred. Archie did have extraordinary healing powers, but even those powers could not heal the deep scars on his arm. 

Jay tried to stammer out an apology, "Ar-Archie, I didn't--"

"Don't." Archie's voice was cold, emotionless. "I don't want to hear it." He was staring down at the table, glaring down at it. Jay started to say something, trying to fix things between him and the Warrior, but he was again cut off, "Why don't you just go to bed, oh great Leader? I'm sure you've more important things to do than spend time with someone who doesn't put effort into the team."

Jay opened his mouth to take back what he said, then closed it. Anything he could say right now would be ignored. The Warrior was far to angry too be swayed by what his Leader had to say. He retreated up the stairs to his room, only daring to look back once. Archie was still staring down at the table, his good hand closed tightly over his scarred arm. 

I'm pushing myself away, and it's getting harder to come back. How can I know you'll save me?

The door slammed a little behind him, which Archie ignored. Tugging down his sleeve as he walked stiffly over to the table sitting near the edge of the roof, the youth's face was still dark with anger and aggression. The low blow from Jay had stung, and Archie seriously needed to hit something, or he would end up breaking someones nose (Three guesses as to who). 

Growling in frustration, Archie collapsed in one of the old fold out chairs someone had left out. He sprawled out on the chair, stretching his limbs slowly as a long sigh escaped his lungs. The quiet of the rooftop always succeeded in calming him rather quickly. The roof was were anyone from the team could go and be relatively isolated from the rest of the world. Archie wasn't exactly sure why this was true, but he did sometimes feel as though this was the one place where he could let down some of his shields.

Still sprawled out on his chair, Archie pinched the bridge of his nose with his fingers, trying to clear his head, to move his thoughts to something less angering than his Leader. His face wrinkled as his thoughts turned to someone even more aggravating. Archie had managed to keep her out of his head most of the night, but now it seemed his head would be treading in dangerous waters once again.

Theresa, the annoying, dramatic, spoiled... gently, funny, protective teammate who seemed to be just as out of touch with the rest of the team as he did. He didn't even want to admit it to himself, but he was worried about her. _Crap. If she's really hurting, I hope there's something I can do. _A half-smile appeared on Archie's face, and he finally opened his eyes to stare up at the darkened sky. _Never thought I'd be this worried about the Drama Queen. _A chuckle escaped Archie, before he suddenly frowned... wait, what?

Groaning, embarrassed, Archie closed his eyes and turned his head to the side. "How long you been up here Theresa?"

**To Be Continued! **

A.N.: Alrighty! There we have the third chapter! I know I said there'd be Cronus, but this story kind of has a mind of it's own. Welp, at least he was mentioned. S'not like we want him around anyways. And yes, Theresa was sitting beside Archie, watching him not notice her. I never said Archie was all that bright! Next chapter will come in a week or so, and I promise there'll be lotsa OOC-ness from everyone, and possibly a little fluff from Archie 'n Theresa!

Now make me happy and Review! 


	4. Starlight and Laughter

A.N.: H'lo everybody! Once again, I've returned, bearing a new chapter. I don't really have a lot to say about it, other than don't forget to review!

Disclaimer: I own a cheap clock radio, which constantly blasts my favoritest rock station ever: (106.1, The Goat, check out their website!!). But Cott? Nope!

Time Stops When I'm Spending...

Archie slowly opened his eyes, and found himself nearly face-to-face with Theresa. She was grinning at him, trying not to laugh at him. "I've been up here for a while, Archie. How did you not notice me?"

Groaning, Archie flopped back into his seat, again pinching the bridge of his nose. There was a hint of a grin on his face as he teased, "Betcha you're not used to being ignored, eh Theresa?"

He expected her to snap at him, almost anticipated it. So the purple-hair teen was surprised when Theresa started laughing. He rolled his eyes before glancing over to her. She was curled up in her chair, a thin blanket covering her shoulders, her long red hair dancing in the gentle wind. She looked very small curled up in the blanket, but her sparkling eyes hinted at her vibrant spirit. She was mock pouting at him, before she waved her hand dismissively, "Please Archie! As if I'm going to suffer heartache because you're ignoring me."

Archie snorted, trying not to laugh. _She always finds new ways to surprise me. _He made a face at her, wrinkling his nose until she started laughing again. _I don't think I'll ever be able to figure her out._ Surprised at how quickly his mood was changing around the Fighter, Archie stretched out in his chair again, listening with satisfaction as his bones crackled with his movement. Theresa laughed at him again. "You take up so much space sometimes!"

Archie propped himself up on his elbows, glaring at Theresa with an indignant expression. "What's that supposed to mean?" She laughed at him again, her hands coming out from under her blanket so she could brace herself on her chair, still laughing at him. The Warrior finally snapped at her, playfully leaning over in his chair to poke the girl in the ribs, making her laugh harder, "I may take up too much space, but you're hardly taking up any!"

The red-head rolled her eyes, and sat up a little in her chair, leaning her arms on her crossed legs. "That was a little weak Arch."

Glancing away with a frown, Archie settled back in his chair. He eventually shrugged a little before glancing at Theresa again. She was watching him, curled up in her blanket again, a small frown on her face, her green eyes searching his.

"What are you doing up here, anyways?" She asked him, tilting her head to the side. He gave her a small smile, before he shrugged again, putting his hands behind his head as he stared up at the darkened sky. They were both silent for a few minutes, just watching the stars together. Archie's thoughts buzzed around his head, the caffeine in his system making his mind go in weird directions. _Never thought I'd be able to go this long without annoying her in some way... _He dared a quick glance in the fiery girl's direction; she was staring up at the numerous stars, an almost wistful expression on her face.

Archie quickly moved his eyes away from the girl, squirming as he was suddenly reminded of the sound of her tears. _Should I ask her about it? _He idly drummed his fingers on his chair, staring up at the sky. _Ugh, why am I always getting myself into these situations? _With a sigh and a light grumble, the Warrior sat up a little, pushing himself up with his elbows.

"Theresa?" He winced at how wimpy he sounded, but plunged ahead anyway, "Can I ask you something?"

The Fighter, who had had her head tilted up to the sky, blinked and looked over to Archie, a slightly concerned expression on her face. "Sure, Archie. What is it?"

Uncertain, Archie sat up straighter, gulping nervously, not looking in the girl's direction. _Seriously, if she bites my head off... _"Remember how the two of us got out of practice early today?" He started, still not glancing at her.

"Yeah..." Theresa's voice was quiet, and he couldn't tell what emotions were in it. He still didn't look at her.

"Remember how after we changed, you went to go talk to Persephone?" He nearly flinched, waiting for her to react. But the only sound was of her breathing, which had become slightly unsteady. He had a feeling he was going to regret starting this conversation in a few moments_. Oh for...I need to get this over with! _Swallowing, he managed to choke out, "I...might have overheard some of your conversation with her. I-I didn't mean to, but ya-you know, I just wanted to make sure you're O.K.!" He finished in a rush, before he clamped his mouth shut, slumping in his chair in embarrassment.

For several long minutes there was silence. Archie glared at the building across the street, listening to Theresa's and his own breathing, waiting for her to respond, to yell at him, to _do something. _Just as he was about to get frustrated, tired of waiting for a response, Theresa sighed.

"It's really not any of your business, what's going on with me." Her quiet, defiant response made him roll his eyes, and he sat up a little so he could frown at her. "Seriously, I don't need you looking out for me!"

"Oh, so, what? Am I supposed to just ignore what I heard today?" He snapped sarcastically, glaring at her. "Pretend it didn't happen or something?"

"Yes!" Theresa snapped at him, returning his look with one of her own. "That's exactly what you're supposed to do! Why can't you just mind your own business?" She was close to yelling at him now, her green eyes blazing with anger.

Annoyed, Archie ran his hands threw his hair, trying to hold back his temper. _I'm not going to just get up and walk away from her. _He didn't know why he was so determined about this, but he couldn't just back away from it now. "Theresa, I'm not going to mind my own business about this! Maybe you don't know this, but I do care about you! If those migraines are hurting you, don't you think the other's should know?" Realizing what he just said, the Warrior clamped his mouth shut, a little embarrassed with his outburst.

He waited for the Fighter to start yelling at him, to kick his butt, even to just walk away, but she did nothing, just sat in her chair, still curled up in her blanket staring at him, an unreadable expression on her face. He watched her normally expressive eyes, trying to get a hint about what she was thinking. Finally, she spoke, her voice calmer than before, "Why do you care? Is is just because of the prophesy? Or, what?"

He blinked, confused with her questions. Why did he care? Sure, without her the prophesy would not come true, and the world would end, but was that really why he was pushing about her migraines? _I do care, a little, but...she would never trust me enough to open up to me. Not that I can say the same. _Sighing, he glanced away for a moment, not trusting his thoughts. He spoke slowly, choosing his words carefully, "Theresa, I'm not going to lie to you here. I know we don't normally get along, and we butt heads a lot, about _everything, _but that doesn't mean I don't care about you."

"Really?" Her voice was both tentative and sarcastic; she didn't believe him, yet.

Sighing, he sat up again, "I do care about you. Sure we fight a lot, but that's kind of what we do. Just because I spend a lot of time yelling at you doesn't mean I don't like you!"

She giggled at his weak attempt at a joke, and Archie relaxed a little, pleased. He jumped a little when she spoke. "O.K., so maybe you do care, a little. But why are you pushing about this? I can take care of myself, and the migraines do go away eventually." Archie frowned as Theresa's questions gave voice to his thoughts, "It's not like we've ever really made an effort to get along before."

Archie shrugged a little. _Because if you go down in the middle of a fight, we all do? _Scratching his nose, he dared another question; "We _have_ tried a few times before, and it worked then. I just...why are you even hiding this? Do you think we're going to judge you or something?"

Theresa started to shake her head, then a long sigh escaped her, "Yes...I know they will."

Frowning in confusion, Archie asked in an incredulous voice, "You _seriously_ think the group is going to judge you about something like this?"

She was flushing, and Archie tried not to notice, "Maybe not all of them..." Scowling, the Warrior started to snap out an answer, but Theresa interrupted him, "I know, I _know_ it's stupid, but Jay and the others depend on my visions so much..." She trailed off, and Archie realized what she had just said.

"So...wait. You _didn't_ expect me to judge you about your migraines?" Confused, a little flustered, and almost pleased at his discovery, the purple-hair teen sat up in his chair, a small smirk on his face.

Theresa spared him a quick glance, her own little smile flickering across her face. "It's kinda of silly isn't it? I expected the rest of the team to get mad at me, to judge me, to call me weak, but I never expected it from you."

Still strangely pleased with this new fact, Archie shifted in his seat until he was facing the red-head beside him. She turned her head to look at him, her little smile still on her face. A sudden thought struck him. _Why exactly didn't she expect me to judge her? _Just as he was about to ask, Theresa flushed, and looked away from him.

"Aren't you going to ask me?" Her voice was soft, and very quiet. Archie's jaw dropped for a moment, before he noticed and closed it. He waited, determined that she was not going to drag out the question she was waiting for. Playing stupid only worked for a short time around Theresa, but Archie knew he could keep it up long enough for her to answer all his questions before he even had to ask them.

He bit his cheek to keep himself from smirking when she sent him an irritated glance. Sometimes_, it's just too easy..._ she turned her eyes back in front, stubbornly refusing to look at him, and he took the opportunity to grin. Theresa was stubborn, bossy, demanding, and she refused to trust someone just because it was convenient. But the fiery girl was also loyal, strong, confident (almost to a fault), and when a person could earn her trust and friendship, he found himself with a friend he could count on. Archie knew that they aggravated each other, he often looked forward to sparring with her. He also knew he could trust her to give in about this any second now...

"Ugh! You are so insufferable!" Her outburst, along with her dramatically waving her arms around, made him laugh, and her green eyes focused on him again. He laughed harder at her furious expression, collapsing back in his chair once again. "Fine! I knew you weren't going to judge me about my migraines because of your brace!"

She nearly shouted her last comment at him, and he couldn't help but roll his eyes. _Ever the drama queen. _Propping his bad leg up on his chair to stare at his brace, he asked, "My brace? What does that have to do with anything?"

Theresa blushed, red streaking across her face. "I-I know that sometimes your leg hurts you, and that it sometimes slows you down. You know what it's like to be at a disadvantage..."

A little startled by her admission, Archie ran his hands slowly down his smooth brace, frowning a little. She was right, sometimes his leg did slow him down. He had thought -hoped- no one had ever noticed, but apparently he was wrong, "It's not that big a disadvantage, but I get what you're saying. But, come on Theresa, you seriously think the teams going to be mad at you for something you can't control. That's foolish. No ones ever tried to tell me I'm not strong enough, or focused enough, or whatever enough to fight, and they not going to tell you that either." Sending her a smirk, he continued, "If they did, you can always let me know, and I'll kick their butts for you!"

Her laugher made him smile, and when Archie pulled himself out of his seat with a groan, she followed, still smiling at him gratefully. As he opened the door of the roof for them she sent him another grateful smile, "Thank you, Archie, for you know, understanding."

He laughed out loud at this. "Understanding? Theresa, I'm never going to understand you, you 'otta know that!" She laughed again, and swatted his shoulder playfully.

Theresa lead the way down the stairs to the main floor, Archie following dutifully behind her. Jay, Neil and Atlanta shared to top floor of the dorm, Odie and Herry the basement, and Archie and Theresa had the ground floor. No one ever mentioned it, but they were all glad Herry slept in the basement. His snores were obnoxious, and the only was who could ignore them was Odie, who slept like a rock. Not to mention the Brawn's annoying habit of getting up at odd hours of the night for snacks.

Archie gave Theresa a quick wink as she disappeared into her room, and was pleasantly surprised when she returned his wink for a cheeky one of her own. Chuckling Archie started down the hall towards his bedroom. _I'm not even sure what it is, but somethings changed for us tonight. _Shaking his thoughts out of his head, Archie opened the door to his room, pulled his shirt off and threw it on the floor and collapsed on his bed. Sleep came quickly.

**To be Continued!! **

A.N. Alrighty! There is my fourth chapter of Time Stops. Lots of Archie and Theresa talking in this one, and a few interesting secrets revealed. If you liked it, if you didn't, if you're hungry and feel like saying so, let me know in the shape of an...oh I don't know, maybe a REVIEW!!

Doooo ittttt...


	5. Reading and Visions

A.N.: 'ola! And here I am again, presenting a new chapter of Time Stops. Visions, drama, arguements and excitement all of which takes place in the Library!! Thrilling, eh? As usual, reviews make me update faster, thus...oh I don't know, REVIEW!! ...I just noticed this. I've started all my chapters with the word Archie. Eh, no complaints yet. Let's go with what works.

Disclaimer: I own four different belts, and one belt buckle I never wear. But Cott? Nope!

Time Stops When I'm Spending It...

Archie sighed loudly, and tilted his chair back, leaning against the wall behind him. Jay sent him a Look, which Archie ignored. His leader still hadn't spoken or apologized to Archie, and the Warrior cheerfully refused to make things any easier for him. If Jay wanted to dig himself into a hole of guilt, Archie wasn't going to stop him.

Rolling his eyes for what felt like the millionth time that morning, Archie looked around his surroundings, trying to find something more interesting then the task at hand. Not four hours ago, Archie had been awoken from his usual sleep-til-noon routine by Herry, who had grinned apologetically at him when he had finally opened the door. At the annoyed Warrior's explain-now-or-_**End **_expression, Herry hastily explained that Jay wanted the team at the school's library that day, looking for new ways to track down and finish off Cronus. The only thing that had stopped Archie from slamming the door in the taller youth's face was the smell of Theresa's pancakes. Archie would kill for a stack of those things.

So here he was, at 11:30 A.M. on a Saturday morning in a library. To say he wasn't in the best of moods was kind of an understatement. He glanced around the library, having long since given up on finding anything new – or of interest - in the thick book he had randomly grabbed off the shelf nearly an hour ago.

Odie, Herry, Atlanta and Jay were sharing the table beside them. Herry was half-asleep in his chair, blindly staring at his book; he hadn't turned his page in nearly thirty minutes. Odie had pushed aside his book and was busy tinkering with his PMR, adjusting this, twisting that, and doing other little complicated things that made Archie's brain hurt. Even Atlanta had given up on her book, which lay open on the table in front of her, and was now idly staring out the big picture window beside her table. The only one at the table who still looked focused was, of course, Jay, who had buried his nose in his thick book. Archie wasn't sure if he was reading it, or trying to eat it.

Smirking at this thought, Archie brought his attention back to his own table. Theresa sat across from him, seemingly engrossed in her book, the title obscured by her slender fingers. Beside her, zoned-out completely, sat Neil, who was tracing little circles over and over on the table, staring blindly at nothing. His book wasn't even open.

Bored, Archie drummed his fingers on the table for a moment, considering just getting up and walking out of the library. He dismissed this thought, deciding to wait until at least noon so he could claim hunger. His fingers attracted attention, and Theresa glanced at him with an annoyed look, frowning a little. Their eyes caught for a moment and Archie grinned, rolled his eyes. She smirked back at him, and he bit back a chuckle. They kept at it for a good five minutes, silently making fun of the rest of the group, making faces and smothering their snickers.

At one of Theresa's exceptionally amusing grins, Archie couldn't take it anymore. Holding back a snort of laughter, he quickly set his chair back on all four legs, before he pushed it away from the table. "O.K., as much fun as this library trip has been, I need some air, some sunshine and most importantly, some lunch."

Herry's head came up. "Lunch?" Immediately he was out of his chair, "I agree with Archie. All for one, and one for lunch!" Herry's enthusiasm was catching, and most of the rest of the team quickly rose to their feet, stretching or snapping their books shut with excited looks of relief on their faces. Only one person looked unhappy with the new development.

"Come on guys. We've only been here for a few hours. A few more won't hurt anyone." Jay's 'leader' voice made everyone else slow in their movements, but for one – an already annoyed Warrior.

Crossing his arms and frowning, Archie stared at his Leader, the only one still seated at a table, "Jay, you've got to be kidding. It's a beautiful, sunny day out there, and sitting in the library reading old books isn't going to help us find Cronus."

Jay frowned as well, staring up at the Warrior, "Archie, all I'm asking for is a few more hours here. Maybe we'll get lucky and find the key to Cronus and his weaknesses."

"Yeah!" Archie's scoff made everyone flinch. Theresa and Atlanta shared alarmed glances, both of them hearing the anger in his tone. "And, maybe, if we're really lucky, Cronus will show up here, and surrender to us, and we won't have to worry about finding his weaknesses, 'cause we'll have him!"

Quickly getting to his feet, the Leader snapped at Archie, "Hey, what's your problem today? You got a stick up your butt or what?"

Clenching his fists in anger, Archie glanced away, trying to control his temper. The rest of the team had formed a semi-circle around the two of them, glancing warily from one to the other. _I'm **not** dealing with Jay's bull today. _Before Archie could tell his Leader exactly 'what his problem was', starting to move forward as he did so, Theresa was suddenly in front of him, silently stopping him with a hand on his chest. Blinking down at her, Archie registered the warning look in her eyes.

He sighed and glanced up to his Leader, who was still frowning at him. Finally, the scowling Warrior shrugged a little and said, "Fine. My problem is my temper." Abruptly backing away from his friends, Archie turned and quickly made for the library's small cafeteria (a.n. I wish there were more libraries with cafeterias). "I'll be back later, I need a drink."

We push each other farther than what we could go alone. In the end, we save each other...

Popping open a lukewarm can of Coke and taking a healthy swig from it, Archie collapsed in a chair, grumbling in frustration. He was still pissed about Jay from last night, was more pissed from their last 'battle', but he was also a little pleased with himself. Jay had been team leader ever since the team had been formed, and before today, Archie couldn't think of too many times when a member of the team had directly defied him (a.n. I haven't seen enough Cott episodes to know if someones ever told Jay 'No', so we'll pretend no one has). Jay needed a kick in the butt, and Archie wasn't going to deny the fact that he wanted to be the one kicking.

Setting down his drink, he settled back in his chair with a sigh, rubbing at his eyes tiredly. He enjoyed taking Jay down a notch, yes, but he knew he was probably going to pay for it later. He tilted his head back, listening to his joints pop, and opened his eyes in time to catch a glint of sunlight off a passing student's watch. Wincing, he clenched his eyes shut, straightening. He scowled as he heard a familiar giggle.

"What are you giggling at?" He growled without opening his eyes. His only response was more giggles and the person sitting down beside him. Daring to crack an eye open, he squinted at the girl. "Do you enjoy my pain or something Theresa?"

She smirked at him, her eyes glinting mischievously, "Of course I do, duh Archie."

"Oh, right. I should know that." He opened his eyes to roll them good naturally at the red-head beside him. She flashed him another cheeky grin, before she snatched up his drink and took her own gulp, ignoring his protests.

Rolling his eyes, he decided to go for the direct approach, and almost without warning, dove at Theresa, aiming for his drink. With a mock squeal of fright, she jumped out of her seat, dodging him, still holding his drink. Growling in mock-anger, he quickly gave chase as she tried darting away from him. His reflexes were faster than hers, and he caught up to her quickly, grabbing her around the waist.

Her laughter was contagious, and he laughed himself as he easily lifted Theresa in the air demanding, "Hand it over, you, or so help me!"

She struggled vainly against him, before giving up, settling for glaring down at him. Grinning, Archie set the fuming girl on her feet, and holding out his hand expectantly. With a dramatic sigh, Theresa obediently handed him his drink. He chugged it down in three quick gulps, then threw the empty can into a nearby trashcan. Then he belched loudly. Theresa rolled her eyes, "So attractive."

"Glad you think so."

She crossed her arms, frowning a little at him. "What happened back there? It's not unusual for you two to cross blades, or whatever, but you don't normally get that angry so quickly."

Archie gave a humorless bark of laughter. "Yes, I can normally control my temper better, but..." he trailed off with a shrug, unsure if explaining himself would serve any purpose. But Theresa asked no more questions, so he didn't elaborate.

"Let's go back to the others. Maybe they've convinced Jay that we do need a break." She tugged on his arm until he reluctantly started following her.

Archie studied her as they walked, skimming his eyes over her face. From her deep green eyes, to her blazing red hair, to her constant smile, she was a very attractive – beautiful, even – girl. He silently wondered at how he had never thought of this before. _'Course, I used to spend most of my time on Atlanta. _Shaking his head, quickly removing his thoughts from that direction, Archie glanced away from the Fighter, fighting the blood that was trying to rush to his cheeks.

When Theresa didn't pull away from him as the rest of the team came into view, Archie couldn't help but grin. She still had her arm in his. Everyone was on their feet, most of them had already returned their books where they had found them.

Neil was leaning against a table, picking at his nails and avidly arguing with Atlanta who was standing beside him, of the merits of manicures. Odie was still messing with his PMR, and the triumphant grin said he had unlocked a new, and possibly useful feature on the gadget. Herry was standing by the window, staring longingly at a hot-dog stand outside.

Jay was off to the side, his arms crossed. Archie inwardly smirked at the pouting Leader's stance. When Jay glanced up as Archie and Theresa came walking up, Archie fought to keep a straight face as he watched Jay's eyes narrow in what suspiciously looked like jealousy at how close they were still standing.

The darker hair youth straightened his shoulders, clearing his throat a little, catching the attention of the rest of the team, "It's close to lunchtime. Lets take a break for a few hours, maybe clear our heads." With that the Leader started out of the library, not glancing back at the rest of the team. Archie's eyes narrowed dangerously at Jay's dramatic exit. _Fifteen minutes ago you wanted us here for the rest of the damn day! Asshole! _

Annoyed, tired of dealing with Jay's attitude, and more than ready to be out of the library, Archie pulled away from Theresa. _Useless waste of a morning... _He strode over to his abandoned book, snatched it up and stalked over to a half empty chart. _If I end up punching Jay, I don't think I'm even going to feel guilty doing it. _The Warrior dropped the book on the cart and turned away from it, pinching his nose in frustration. _Why did I even bother getting out of bed again? _He slowly dragged his hand down his face, before he opened his eyes again, meeting Theresa's.

Theresa was frowning at him, but when she absently took the book Neil handed to her her face suddenly went pale. Her hands clenched the book tightly, and she gasped, her eyes suddenly going out of focus. Frowning in concern, Archie started forward, watching with growing alarm as Theresa's eyes started glowing a faint blue, signaling her entering another realm of consciousness.

Neil stepped closer to the Fighter, waving his hand in front of her face, "Is she having a vision?" the Charm glanced back at Archie, eyes very wide.

Gulping down his sudden nervousness, Archie gave the blond a curt nod of affirmation, before he barked out at Odie, "Call Jay back. Looks like this wasn't a complete waste of a morning after all."

The smaller hero nodded quickly, and Archie redirected his attention to Theresa. She was still very pale. Atlanta pushed Neil to the side, frowning. "Her visions don't normally make her this pale. Archie, what's going on?"

"I don't know. Where is Jay!?" Archie nearly yelled his question, making everyone jump. Whipping his head around to glare at the doors the Leader had left from not two minutes ago, the Warrior muttered angrily to himself, "Useless, can't even be around when we need him..."

Still muttering to himself, he moved closer to Theresa, eying her carefully. Her eyes were still glowing the familiar faint blue, but behind the light he could still see her eyes, frantically darting back and forth. A thin sheen of sweat had appeared on her face. _Whatever she's seeing must be scary, or something. _He started to reach for her face, intending to wipe some hair off her face, when Herry caught his arm.

"We're not supposed to touch her when she's having visions, remember? Jay said that might interfere." Herry's voice wavered, giving away his own nervousness. Archie shook the Brawn off with a growl.

"Screw Jay! He's not here and it looks like Theresa _needs_ me to interfere." with that, the Warrior snatched the book Theresa was still gripping away from her, carefully watching her face. For a moment, nothing happened. Then Theresa's eyes stopped glowing, and came back into focus. Then with a groan she started to slump over backwards.

Neil quickly slid an arm around her shoulders, holding her up. Archie quickly moved closer to her, brushing his fingers over her face. "Theresa? Come on Terri, come back."

Slowly shaking her head, Theresa lifted her eyes to meet Archie's concerned ones. He was alarmed to see exhaustion, and fear, in her normally bright eyes. She pulled away from Neil and tried to straighten herself up, avoiding meeting Archie's eyes again. But she only ended up stumbling again, and Archie quickly caught the Fighter by the shoulders. He frowned at her pale face, "What did you see? Theresa?"

Shaking her head slowly, the lithe red-head closed her eyes for a moment, collecting herself. Theresa kept her eyes closed as she unconsciously leaned against the Warrior who was still holding her shoulders, keeping her steady. Finally, with a long sigh she pulled away from him, "Oh gods. That explains a few things."

Archie frowned down at her, titling his head to the side, "Explains a few things? What things?"

"For one, why Jay is so determined to find Cronus." Her mumbled response made Archie's eyebrows crease, and he stared down at Theresa in confusion. Before he could ask her what she meant, the library doors banged open.

"Theresa!" and Jay made his heroic entrance, rushing in with wide eyes, nearly crashing into a harried librarian.

_**To be continued! **_

A.N.: Sorry 'bout the rather abrupt ending, but this chapter was getting way to long. It was a little messy, so I chopped it in half. Ho-rah! So what did you people think? Did you like it? Hate it? Did it make you hungry? Let me know in the shape of a REVIEW!!

Review!


	6. Benches and Heartache

A.N.: Hello again my fabulous people. Have I mentioned yet how much I love you guys? You folks are the only reasons I post these stories. Well, that and your reviews. I love those too. But seriously, if people didn't read my fics, there wouldn't be much point to writing them. Thus, thank you people for putting up with my crap. I'll stop my rambling in now and let you get to the chapter.

Disclaimer: I own a used trombone, and some cheap sheet music. But Cott? Nope!

Time Stops When I'm Spending It With...

Archie couldn't help but scoff as he watched Jay finally stumble back into the library. The team's Leader looked considerably rumpled, and Archie was less than impressed. He rushed over to the group, immediately going to Theresa. "What happened?" his voice was hoarse, but gentle as he carefully brushed his hands down her arms, checking her for damage.

Theresa gave her Leader a calming smile, but her own hands came up and gently pushed him away. Archie's eyebrows rose at the gesture as Theresa started to speak to Jay, "I'm fine Jay. I had a vision, that's all."

He gave the girl a relieved smile, and Archie rolled his eyes behind them as Jay again brushed his hands down Theresa's arms. "I'm glad. Odie and Archie had me worried that something had happened to you." Archie silently gagged behind his Leader. _Give me a break. You were gone maybe ten minutes. _Atlanta slapped his shoulder, and shook her fist at him, effectively convincing him to stop mocking Jay. For the moment anyway.

Theresa stepped away from Jay, glancing around his shoulder to Archie, eyes pleading. Noticing this, the Warrior quickly walked over to her and the Leader, not-so-subtly shoving Jay to the side as he moved to stand beside Theresa. At Jay's glare, Archie narrowed his eyes, "Maybe this isn't the best place to be discussing this. We're attracting attention."

Everyones' backs straightened as they all looked around. Archie rolled his eyes. _Yes guys, we're subtle. _Speaking lowly, aware of several sets of eyes watching them, Archie suggested, "Why don't we get out of the library, head back to the brownstone? Less chance of someone overhearing something they're not supposed to."

Jay frowned at the suggestion, but said nothing as the rest of the team obediently started for the doors. Shooting the Warrior one last dirty look, Jay turned and followed the team, walking stiffly, hands clenched as his side. Archie only barely resisted the urge to throw a book at the back of the Leader's head. Deciding against this, he settled for a long sigh, and he leaned against the table behind him, rubbing at his eyes. "Thank you."

Archie's eyes opened, and he found himself staring into Theresa's eyes. She was standing in front of him, still looking very pale, but there are a grateful little smile on her lips. Giving her a smile of his own, Archie asked, "You O.K.?"

"Yes. No migraine yet." she said, nodding her head slowly.

Giving his own nod, Archie said in a low voice, "You didn't want to tell Jay about what was in your vision, do you?"

Theresa's face flushed, and she turned away from the Warrior, "I-I don't know what you are talking about. Of course I plan on telling Jay about my vision!"

Scoffing, Archie pushed away from the table and realized he was still holding the book he had pulled out of Theresa's hands during her vision. Archie frowned down at the book, turning it over in his hands to look at the title. In big block letters read **Jason And The Argonauts.** Archie stared down at the book for nearly a minute, before he started to chuckle. He asked, "Was this the book that Neil had been reading?"

Staring at Archie in confusion, Theresa nodded, "I think so. Though he wasn't reading it so much as he was using it to prop up his mirror. Why?"

Still chuckling, Archie tapped the books cover, "This book is the one that describes Jay's ancestor, Jason, and his adventures. Of course the lucky Charm would pick up the exact book we needed."

"Oh, you're kidding." Theresa groaned, lightly slapping her forehead in frustration. "You mean we spent the entire morning in this library because _Neil _had the book we needed?"

Rolling his eyes, Archie tossed the book onto a table. "Yep. It was sitting beside us all morning. Practically right under our noses." He glared at the book for a moment, then rolled his eyes. "Let's get going." He sent a quick grin to a librarian who was glaring at the two of them. "We've attracted unwanted attention."

If I learn to Trust you, can I be sure you'll hold me tight?

Archie walked out the library doors, Theresa walking beside him. Squinting his eyes as he walked out into the bright sunlight, Archie let himself smile as the warm sun hit his face. The two heroes started down the sidewalk, taking their time, enjoying the relaxed mood they shared. Archie sent the Fighter a quick glance. "So what exactly was in your vision? I already know it had something to do with Jay, but what was it?"

Shooting the Warrior a quick, nervous glance of her own, Theresa said, "I'm not sure if it's my place to tell you about what I saw. It looked kind of... private?" Her voice rose, making it sound like a question.

Archie's eyebrows rose as a mischievously wicked smirk appeared on his face. _Private? As in, 'Jay wouldn't want me to know about it' private? _He pleaded with Theresa, clasping his hands together in front of his face, "Oh come on! You know you want to share! Please? I really wanna know!"

Theresa snorted, raising a delicate eyebrow at him. "You're hoping it's embarrassing or something, aren't you?"

They came to a stoplight and Archie leaned against the button, trying to hide his mischievous smirk. "Do you think so lowly of me?" Archie gasped in mock shock, an affronted look on his face. Then he grinned, "Of course I am. If your vision's something I can use against Jay, then I will **beg** you for it."

"Archie! What if my vision was something serious? You're not taking this seriously enough!" Theresa's hands were on her hips as she glared up at him. But there was also a twinkle of humor in her eye, so Archie didn't feel all that guilty.

The light changed green and they quickly darted across the street. "If it's such a horrible, serious thing that was revealed in your vision, why aren't you talking with Jay about it, instead of me?" Archie turned his head to hide his smirk as Theresa's face flushed. She said nothing to him, however, so he kept pushing. "Come on Theresa. I want to know. Whatever you saw, I wanna hear about it."

Rolling her eyes, Theresa walked down the paved sidewalk, carefully avoiding stepping on the cracks. Archie chuckled as he watched the girl, ever graceful, move down the sidewalk, himself preferring to walk slowly down the middle of the sidewalk, his hands stuffed in his pockets. She reached the corner and looked back at him, a little smile on her face.

Archie gave Theresa his own slow grin as he continued to walk towards her. She glanced away from him as he sidled up beside her. _Damn. Theresa looks good in direct sunlight. _Archie's nose wrinkled as he frowned. Theresa blinked at him in confusion, "What?"

Shaking his head, rapidly blinking as he forced away any more dangerous thoughts, he quickly responded, "N-nothing. Sorry." She raised an eyebrow at him, but said nothing.

"Oh..." Archie's eyes widened as Theresa's face suddenly went very white, and she started to sway unsteadily in front of him, "Archie... I don't..." she trailed off weakly, still swaying dangerously.

Alarms went off in Archie's head. _Her migraines! Shit! _He darted forward, trying to catch Theresa as her eyes closed and she fell to the ground. It was only luck that he managed to catch the girl before she hit the ground. "Theresa! Terri! Oh man..."

I will open myself up to you, but only if you find my key...

Archie stared down at her, trying to choke down the last of his panic. Her face, what he could see of it, was very white. The two of them were at a park bench, one that had luckily been only a few feet away from were Theresa had collapsed. He had carefully carried her over to the bench, and within a few minutes of sitting with her head between her knees, she had pulled herself mostly together.

She was still sitting on the bench, hunched over, her arms resting on her knees. Archie stood behind her, watching the girl as she shifted slightly, her hair falling like a curtain in front of her face. Uncrossing his arms, he hesitantly put his hand on her shoulder. She relaxed a little under his hand as he asked, "I – is it always this bad?"

"Yes..." She whispered, so quiet he nearly didn't hear her. Holding back a sigh, he walked around the bench until he was standing in front of her. Kneeling so his face was nearly level with hers, he let his hand reach out and gently lift her chin, meeting her green eyes with his own. Her face was still very white.

Searching her eyes, he asked, "Theresa has it..." He sighed, and tried again, "Is there a way to make it easier? (a.n. Seriously, is there a way to make life easier? Oh! Sorry.) It's way too scary; seeing you like this."

Theresa gave the Warrior a ghost of a smile, but he could still see the exhaustion and pain in her eyes. She started to shake her head, and winced. Archie felt his concern rising, yet again. _If just moving her head can cause her pain... how long has this been going on?! _Theresa leaned back, her eyes still cloudy with pain. "There's nothing you can do Archie. This is something I had to deal with on my own."

Archie immediately scowled, glaring at the Fighter in disbelief. "You're kidding! Theresa, I'm not going to let you deal with this own your own. You are my friend, and you can't fix something like this by yourself."

For a moment, it looked as though Theresa was going to shrink away from him. Instead, she leaned forward again, returning his angry look with one of her own. _Stubborn little girl! I want to help her, why can't she see that? _Her eyes seemed to clear as she snapped at him, "I can take care of myself! I don't need you around to save me. I don't need you to be my _hero_!"

Had anyone else in the world spoken to him like that, Archie would have probably slugged them. But with Theresa, Archie was never sure how he was supposed to act. _What in Olympia does she want from me? _Rocking back on his heels so he was standing, the youth stared down at his companion, clenching and unclenching his fists. Finally, he spoke, carefully keeping his anger out of his voice, "I'm not going to _save_ you or something, Theresa. I know you can hold out on your own..." He paused as her eyes lifted to meet his. "...but, sometimes, you need to learn to lean on others."

Theresa blinked, looking away from him. Archie watched her face. Color was starting to return to it, but she was still much paler than she normally was. She didn't look at him as she spoke, "I want to be able to lean on others Archie. Try to understand that."

Furrowing his eyebrows in confusion, Archie muttered, "As much as I want to, I can't understand something that's not explained to me." He weighed his options. Stay with the girl, convince her to talk, gain understanding. Or walk away and leave her to take care of herself, giving him the freedom to never have to worry about her seeking him out. Archie nearly chuckled as he shook his head. _I'm in too deep already. I'm not walking away now. _

Theresa jumped as Archie collapsed beside her, sprawling out on the bench, stretching his limbs. Frowning, she asked, "Why are you so insistent about everything? Don't you know when to quit?"

Snorting, Archie turned so he was facing the girl. "Never. Quit isn't in my vocabulary." Raising his eyebrows at her, he asked, "Well?"

"Ugh. I can't lean on others because it's hard for me to trust people. My father was never there for me, why would others go out of their way for me? There! Happy?"

Smirking, he chuckled. "Happy? No, but I got you to talk to me."

Making a face, Theresa turned her head. "You got me to talk? Archie, you used to tell me like every day, all the time, that I talked too much."

Archie laughed. "Things have changed. Plus, this is something important, I'm not gonna just give up because it's hard." Archie grinned at Theresa's pleased smile. _Her smile could make me move mountains. _Rolling his eyes, ignoring his crazy brain, he nudged Theresa's leg with his own. She looked up, and their eyes met.

Struck with a sudden mental image of what the two of them looked like, Archie blinked. A beautiful, if overly pale, young woman, with flowing red hair, and striking green eyes, staring into the eyes of an awkward-looking teen, one sporting a bent nose, purple hair, and a gleaming, golden colored leg brace. Perspective sucked. But it did nothing to quell the sudden _pull _in his chest, a pull that made him wish he was as brave as the team thought he was. _She would never go for it and you know it! _Forcing his eyes away from hers, Archie turned away, leaning his elbows on his knees. _Get out of there before you embarrass yourself_! Staring out over the park, not daring to meet her eyes again, the Warrior asked, "What's stopping you from trusting me?

Theresa frowned. "I didn't say that I didn't trust you. I do Archie."

He sighed, glaring out over the park, "You don't act like you do. Half the time I think you're going to walk away from me and never look back."

Her frown deepening, she snapped, "I can't walk away from people I care about!" Her mouth closed with a snap, and Archie blinked slowly, turning his head to eye the girl. She was starting to blush.

A hint of a grin appearing on his face, the Warrior questioned, "So you care about me now? Huh. Never thought I'd see the day you'd admit _that_."

"Damn-it Archie, do you ever take _anything _seriously!"

She stood up angrily and immediately swayed on her feet, her face going pale as her knees started to wobble. Archie jumped up and steadied her, slipping his arms around her waist as she grabbed his forearms. She moaned softly as Archie stared down at her in alarm. When she leaned her face against his chest, he only tightened his grip on her, keeping her close. _She's so small! How did I miss how thin she's been getting? _"Terri?"

"Oh, gods. Bad idea. Archie..." She murmured weakly, still leaning against him.

Carefully pulling her back to the bench, he pulled her down and loosened his grip so she could lean back. Still staying close to her, he murmured back, "You stood up to fast. You're strong Terri, but not that strong."

She bristled under his grip, her eyes opening to glare at him. Her hands fisted his sweater, keeping him close to her. Archie wasn't sure she was even aware of this. "I'm sorry for being such a burden! Let me go and I'll leave you alone!"

Frowning in her face, he snapped back, "You're not a burden, you should know that! And no, I'm not letting go." Trying to keep a hold on his temper, he growled at the girl, "When are you going to start taking care of yourself? You push and push and push and you're going to end up pushing yourself right over the edge."

Theresa's grip on his sweater tightened, and she nearly snarled her next comment, "So I'm persistent. That's not a crime!" Her face was reddening, and her scowl matched his own.

"Persistent? More like obsessive! When was the last time you ate?" She blinked at his question, her grip loosening a little on his clothes.

She squirmed a little in his grip, but he didn't move his arms, "I don't know. This morning?"

Resisting the urge to roll his eyes, Archie snorted, "You mean that invisible breakfast you had? I watched Herry eat your stack of pancakes this morning. That must have been filling."

Her scowl returned as she accused, "You're always so rude to me! Why?"

"Why are you always so stubborn around me?" He shot back. She glared at him as he scowled right back. _Even when she's half out of it, she can drive me crazy! _Suddenly the girl's eyes widened, and her hands flattened out on his chest.

Blinking, Archie realized just how close the two of them were. His hands were still on her waist, their legs were tangled together, and her hands were still on his chest. Wide green eyes stared up at him, alarm and fear clearly visible in the deep orbs, "Archie, I can't – it's too much..." Theresa trailed off, looking away.

"Too much, what? Am I getting to _close?" _He demanded, his voice low, "Is this too _real_ for you, Terri?" He _felt_ the shift in the air. Whatever happened now could change everything, and he knew, _**he **__**knew**__, _he was more than ready for that to happen. _The question is, is Theresa? _

The two teens stared into each others eyes. Archie memorized hers, searching them, seeing not a heroine, not a cool and collected teen, but a scared little girl, searching for someone who could help her through the dark. Theresa stared right back at him, her breath coming in short little puffs. She was staring into him so intently, and he knew she could -and did- take one look at his surface and call 'bull'.

Her hands were still open on his chest, her heat searing into him. His hands were somehow on her shoulder's, keeping her pinned to the bench, close to him. His heart was rapidly pounding away, but Archie felt oddly surreal at the moment. A little voice in the back of his head asked, _'Still think she won't go for it?'_

Keeping his eyes locked on hers, he slowly moved his hands down her arms, fingers lightly tracing them, making her shiver. Their hands met, and without protest, Theresa let him lace their fingers. He tried to clear his throat, but his voice was still gruff as he said, "Terri, I'm not – I don't"

"I know." She cut him off, whispering. "I don't know either."

A hint of a smile flit across his face, and she easily returned it. Tracing her palms with the pads of his thumbs, Archie slowly pulled Theresa closer.

Closer... her breathing hitched as their faces grew ever closer to each other. The _pull _he felt was a **need**, something he'd never felt before in his life. Closer...

Of course, at that moment, Theresa's PMR went off, beeping insistently.

The noise shattered the moment, and they tore away from each other, he leaning back against the bench, her jerking her hands away from his, crossing her arms defensively over her chest. They stared at each other for a moment, Archie's thoughts spiraling wildly in his head. _We nearly... __**she **__nearly let me... Oh man. _The PMR went off again, forcing Theresa into action.

Standing on unsteady legs, the girl unclasped the PMR from her belt and clicked it on, walking a few steps away from Archie. "Hello?"

Archie only barely the response, "Theresa?"

She visibly jumped, shooting him a glance as his face paled. "J-jay?"

She took a few more steps away from him, murmuring into the talkie. He watched her face as she talked. It's was very pale, but she held herself together as she responded to the Leader's questions, her voice mostly calm. Finally, she clicked her PMR off and turned back to him, a falsely cheerful smile on her face. "That was Jay. He was wondering what was taking us so long." Her forced laughter made him wince.

"W-well, we'd better gt back to the brownstone. Don't want Jay to send out the dogs for us or something." With that, she turned and started walking away.

Archie jumped off the bench, and catching up to her, grabbed her arm. "Theresa –"

"No." She whispered, not meeting his eyes, "Just, let's get back. Please."

He stared down at her for a long moment. _I guess I was right... _Giving a nod, the Warrior released the girl's arm, backing away a step as he did so. _She won't go for it. I have to let her go. _

Theresa gave him a sad, grateful smile, and a long searching look, before she turned away and retreated down the path, leaving him alone. He waited until she was out of site before he started walking. _I've let her walk away. _The pain in his chest made his steps slow and deliberate, and his breath labored. _I never had her, did I?_

_/_

I'm so, so sorry!! It took longer than I expected to get this chapter finished, and I know there have to be a few people out there waiting for this. Poor Archie. Things are hard for our favorite Warrior, aren't they?

Review, if you please!


	7. Kitchens and Books?

A.N. Hello again my awesome people. I come bearing yet another chapter of Time Stops. I have to be honest. I had no idea what I was getting into when I started this. Already, we're at seven chapters, and this fic shows no signs of slowing down. I got a lot of really nice reviews for my last chapter, to which I say thanks! Good reviews tends to mean a good chapter, so maybe I'm getting better at this. A special shout out to jennieman, who works inspired me to make this fic. You are an awesome writer, don't you ever stop, ya 'ear?

Disclaimer: I don't know why I keep putting this in here, everyone knows I own nothing...

Time Stops

/

Archie clicked the front door shut behind him, his eyes downcast as he entered the dorm. His thoughts were still fuzzy; everything seemed out of focus at the moment, as though all the lights in the world had been dimmed. Walking through the living room, he glanced around the room with a frown. It seemed everyone was waiting for him in the kitchen. Rolling his eyes, the Warrior walked into the food room, tapping his fingers against the door jam as he did so.

Herry was munching on a piece of fruit, and grinning at a joke Neil gave from behind his mirror. Odie and Jay were bent over their PMRs sitting on the table, Jay examining closely as Odie excitedly explained his new discovery. Atlanta and Theresa were standing near the back of the room, quietly whispering to each other. Archie cleared his throat as he entered the kitchen, walking over to counter to lean against it. They all snapped their heads up to look at him.

Setting his jaw, Archie nodded to his Leader, asking, "What I miss?"

Jay stood and stepped away from the table, staring at the Warrior with narrowed eyes, "What took you so long to get back? The library isn't that far from the brownstone."

Rolling his eyes as he crossed his arms, Archie snapped, "I took a detour. I needed to clear my head."

Odie shared a glance with Herry, before he cleared his throat, "We were just waiting for you to get back. Theresa said she wanted all of us to hear her vision."

Herry swallowed the last of his fruit before he asked, "So what was your vision, huh Theresa? From your face back at the library, it was a pretty serious one."

Flushing slightly as everyone's attention turned towards her, Theresa pulled away from Atlanta, and walked over to the table. She shot Archie a quick glance. He clamped down on his emotions, carefully keeping his face blank as he stared back at her. Finally, she broke their gaze and sat down at the table, folding her hands on the table and staring at them. "It was different."

Archie felt concern bubble in his chest, but forced it back, watching the rest of the team as they shared unnerved glances. The fear, and uncertainty, that everyone heard in Theresa's voice was alarming. Atlanta quickly made her way over to the table, sitting down beside her friend, letting her hand rest comfortingly on the older girl's folded hands. Theresa sent the Huntress a weak smile, before she continued, "Nor-normally, my visions are pretty simple. I'll get a quick glance of something that's already happened, or is happening at that exact moment, and that's usually all that I will see."

Across from her, Odie leaned forward in his chair, an intent expression on his dark face, "Normally? Just how different was your last vision?"

Looking up at the smaller youth, Theresa gave him a long look, "Very different." She refocused her gaze to her hands. "I saw Jason's last battle. He w-was fighting a huge black dragon."

Herry's eyebrow furrowed, and he glanced up at Jay, who was standing in the hallway door, leaning against it. His eyes had gone wide, but there was no other reaction at the mention of the Leader's ancestor. Still leaning against the counter, Archie frowned. "Jason's last battle? Theresa, no one knows what his last battle was. The last known record of him was of his marriage to Creusa, daughter of the king of Corinth. After that, there's nothing."

Neil clicked his mirror close, and looked up at Archie from his seat at the head of the table. "How would you know that?"

He shrugged at the Charm, "I've read a lot about the Greek history since I came to New Olympia."

Not lifting her gaze from her hands Theresa said, "It was his last battle, because the dragon killed him. My vision started with Jason standing in the middle of a big field, looking around like he was nervous about something. Then, I heard this massive roar, and out of nowhere, this massive black dragon with big sliver wings came and started attacking Jason. It killed him so quickly. It just, just, brought it's teeth down on him, and that was it." She let a long sigh escape her, shivering slightly.

Watching her friend with concern, Atlanta asked in a low voice, "You O.K. Terri?"

Lifting her eyes to smile reassuringly at her friend, Theresa nodded. "I'm fine Lannie. Just... that wasn't all I saw in my vision."

A cold stone of dread growing in his belly, Archie pushed off the counter. "Theresa? What was it you saw?"

"The dragon was being controlled." The girl said simply, shivering yet again.

Archie felt his dread grow, but it was Jay who voiced it, "Cronus." The youth's voice was low, but there was no disguising the disgust and hate in the word.

Theresa nodded again, but when her head came up, there was an urgent expression on her face, "Yes, it was Cronus. But, once the dragon was finished with Jason, Cronus... he turned and **looked **at me."

Archie pushed away from the counter, finally realizing why the Fighter seemed so afraid. "Y-you mean, he saw you? As in, you?"

Theresa shook her head. "Not me. There was someone else with Jason when the dragon killed him. I don't know who it was, but when Cronus looked at me, he was looking at the person who was with him. I've only ever seen Cronus look that angry right after we beat him."

"Who was it?" Asked Jay, who was now standing close to the table, his hands clenched into fists at his sides.

She shook her head, and her knuckles grew white as her fingers clenched tighter. "I'm not sure." Archie frowned. _She's lying. She always squeezes something when she's lying. _But as Theresa pushed away from the table, he said nothing. "I think I need to go to the school, and talk to Persephone. Maybe she'll be able to tell me why I had that vision."

Herry pushed away from to table as well, standing as he reached into his pocket, pulling out his truck keys, "I'll go with you Terri. Hercules was bugging me the other day about tweaking my weapons training."

Theresa only shrugged. Archie frowned at the Fighter, trying to decipher her sudden aloofness. A thought struck him and his eyes widened. _Cronus, a black dragon with silver wings, Jay, Creusa, Theresa's visions! Of course!_ Archie stepped forward, clearing his throat. "I'll go with you guys. I want to check something at the school's library."

Jay sighed, before he said, "I'll come too. I need to speak to Hera about something. Odie, Neil, Atlanta, will you three be joining us?"

Odie shook his head. "I'm going to finish upgrading my PMR. I think I've nearly figured out how to make them untraceable to non-friendly entities."

Neil started to stand, an eager expression on his face, before Atlanta reached out and grabbed his shirt, pulling him back down. "Hey!"

Rolling her eyes, Atlanta said, "Neil and I have a project we need to work on. It's due on Monday, remember Neil?"

"Aww, come on Lannie. It's a Saturday! Can't we work on it tomorrow?" Neil whined, staring down at his teammate with pleading eyes.

She seemed to think about it for a moment, before she smirked, "No."

Chuckling, Archie shook his head as he followed Herry, Jay, and Theresa to the front door. Jay glanced back at him. "What's with the sudden need to get to the library? You were more than ready to get out of the last one."

Resisting the urge to snap at the Leader, Archie shrugged as he followed him out the door of the brownstone. "Somethings come to my attention that I need to check. And I need to speak to Hermes as well."

"Hermes? What do you have to talk about with him?" Herry asked, opening his truck door and climbing in.

Rolling his eyes as he settled into his usual seat, directly behind the driver, Archie asked, "What's with the twenty questions? I have to ask Hermes to send a letter for me, that's all."

Jay looked as though he wanted to continue questioning the Warrior, but a glance at the scowling face of the youth told him it wouldn't be the best of ideas. Instead he turned to Theresa, touching her shoulder. "Hey."

She glanced at him, and Archie could see the smile he gave her. He rolled his eyes as Jay quietly asked, "Are you O.K.? You seem kinda pale today."

Theresa leaned forward, turning the radio on. As a loud rock song thumped through the truck she leaned back, smiling at Jay. "Fine!"

Archie slumped in his seat, and closed his eyes, letting the music flow through his mind, blocking everything out. Over and over, the same thought floated through his head. _She didn't want it. She walked away. She didn't want it. _The bass reverted through his chest, and he focused on the sensation as Herry drove his truck through the city.

Pain pushed us together, but something else holds us here...

Scowling as his fingers trailed down yet another row of books, Archie tried his best to hold his temper in check. _Of course I can't find it when I need it. _He had already been in the library for nearly an hour, and he had yet to find what he was looking for. _Just the other day I found that damn book five separate times!_

Yet another shelf of the wrong books did nothing for his temper._ It's can't be this difficult to find one damned book._ Turning away from the shelves in frustration, the Warrior nearly jumped out of his shoes when he found himself face-to-face with the Queen of the Underworld herself. "P-Persephone! What are – What can I help you with?"

The goddess gave Archie a calming smile, but her eyes were carefully studying his face, "Relax young hero. I'm not going to hurt you."

He gulped nervously, eying the pale goddess who had once threatened to flay him alive (he hadn't meant to break that urn, really!) Archie spent a lot of time around the gods, but Persephone made him nervous, in fact, she downright scared him. The fact that she was Theresa's (overprotective) mentor had nothing to do with it. Giving a weak grin, he asked, "What are you doing in the library?"

Another mysterious smile. "Actually, I was looking for you." It didn't seem possible, but the teen went even paler than normal, staring at Persephone with wide, alarmed eyes. She let a gentle chuckle escape her as she carefully placed her hand on his arm, "Relax Archie. I'm not going to flay you!"

"Th-then, what do you want from me?" He asked weakly, eyes darting from the library doors to the nearest window. Which was closer?

The goddess pulled Archie over to a table, and he quickly sat down in one of the uncomfortable chairs, secretly giving a relived sigh when she released his arm. Slowly, Persephone walked around the table to a chair on the other side of it, her eyes on the Warrior. He only just barely resisted the urge to run out of the room in terror as she sat down in front of him, still smiling oddly. Instead, he placed both hands flat on the table, staring down at them. Persephone chuckled again. "Archie, come on. Calm down. I want to thank you."

With a frown, the youth's head came up. "Thank me? What for?" Daring to meet the goddesses deep blue eyes, Archie felt himself relax as he saw not anger or violence in the woman's gaze, but guarded gratefulness.

Persephone leaned forward in her seat, both her hands flat on the table, imitating him. Their eyes remained locked as she spoke, "It's come to my attention that you've been... protective of Theresa in the past few days." Archie's eyebrows slowly rose as she continued, "Perhaps you thought that no one would notice? I have Archie. And, I must say... I'm glad it's happening." Her blue eyes pinned him to the chair, and forced honesty from him.

"Why? Theresa already has Jay to be 'protective', as you put it, of her." He couldn't keep the bitterness, or sadness, out of his voice.

A sad smile flit across the Queen's face. "Jay is protective of Theresa, but he has very little compared to what I expect you feel for her."

Half awed, half alarmed, Archie stared at the pale goddess, comprehension slowly dawning in his dark eyes. _Is she... approving my feelings? **I **don't even know what's going on between us! _Leaning forward in his char, Archie asked yet another question, "What do you expect of me Persephone? Theresa wants nothing to do with me."

The Queen of the Underworld smirked. "You know as well as I do, young Warrior, that that is a lie. Theresa is a strong willed, even stubborn girl, but if she is willing to open herself up to you, then perhaps you should not give up on your hopes with her just yet."

The youth slumped back in his chair, still eying the goddess uncertainly. He spoke his next sentence in a low voice, "If I said that I was willing to risk everything for a chance to..." Trailing off, the Warrior swallowed back his fear before he continued, "You would say you approved of it?"

Persephone raised a delicate eyebrow. "I would not be against the possibility." Archie could not deny the sudden rush of emotions that washed through his system at the woman's words. "But know this, hero. Theresa's destiny is entwined with your's no matter what you choose to do. But it while be your choices that determine _what_ her destiny will be."

She suddenly pushed her chair away from the table. Staring down at the Warrior with an unconcealed warning in her eyes, she said, "Theresa has become like a daughter to me. Should your decision result in her pain, _in any way, _you will regret it." For a brief moment, Archie saw a glimpse of the immortal's scary, Queen of the Underworld persona, before she smiled at him again, "Oh, and I believe _this_ was what you were looking for."

With that, the goddess turned and floated out of the room, leaving Archie glued to his seat in terror. When he finally glanced down at the table, nearly five minutes later, he found himself staring at the book he'd spent the past hour searching for. Not bothering to smother his groan, the Warrior let his head fall with a _**thunk**_ onto the book.

You're on my mind, I can't be alone...

"All I'm asking for is a chance Hera!" Jay's angered voice rang out over the garden that was part of the secret hall that housed the gods. Archie, walking down a spotless hall towards said garden, glanced around with raised _eyebrows. Since when did Jay dare to use that tone of voice around Hera? _

"Jay, I cannot allow it. You know the consequences, there is little chance of success in this endeavor. You know the prophesy." Hera's voice was calmer than Jay's, but Archie could still hear the warning tone in it.

Deciding to interrupt them rather than eavesdrop, Archie turned a corner as Jay snarled, "I don't want to loss my only chance Hera! Please!"

"I can't allow -" The goddess started, only to be interrupted but the Warrior.

"Jay! Jay, you'll never believe it!" He called, hiding his grin as he watched both the hero and the goddess jump. Walking out into the garden, he kept an eager expression on his face, pulling out the book he had tucked under his arm. When he reached the two, he looked at Jay. "You remember how Theresa described a dragon in her last vision?"

"Um... yea. She said it was a big black one." Jay said slowly, staring at the Warrior with an uneasy expression. Archie grinned, sending a quick nod to Hera. She slowly nodded back.

"Well, when she mentioned the dragon had killed Jason, it made me think of Medea, his first wife." Archie's eyes danced with anticipation as Hera and Jay exchanged confused looks.

Jay scratched the back of his head, eying the book in Archie's hands, "Arch, Cronus already tried to use one of Medea's descendants to turn us into dragon food, remember?"

The Warrior rolled his eyes, "Of course I remember. Medelia and her amazons. But do **you **remember the dragons crawling all over that island of hers?"

Deadpan, Jay responded, "I remember about five of those dragons trying to eat me."

With a grin, Archie turned and walked over to the table where the gods usually left notes or artifacts of various importance. Thumping the book down on the table, he let his Leader examine the cover. A thick, hardcover book, with only the title displayed on the cover, in big, gold letters: **Equinox**.

Jay turned to his friend, his blue-grey eyes very wide. "Ar-Archie? What is this?"

Opening the book, Archie let his fingers trail down the text, a serious expression on his face. "Medea was a sorceress. One of the best. She could control things in ways that make Cronus's abilities look rather pathetic. And one of the things she could control..."

"Was this... dragon?" Jay finished, his face very white. Archie nodded.

"Not just any dragon." Hera interrupted, gently pushing in between the two men, reaching out and turning a few pages. She opened to a page that showed a picture of the beast. Archie swallowed as he examined the picture. Hera continued, trailing her finger down the picture, "Equinox was not just a dragon. He was once a Dragon King."

Hissing, Archie felt as if he had been sucker punched in the chest. Clenching his eyes shut, he pulled away from the table, running shaking hands through his hair, cursing under his breath. _A_ _Dragon King. Oh man. _Half stumbling, the Warrior made his way over to a chair, before collapsing in it. His eyes still tightly clenched shut, he muttered, "A former Dragon King." Opening his eyes, he found both hero and goddess standing in front of him, watching him in concern. Focusing on the goddess, Archie felt himself scowl. "Damn. I bet you think I don't know the story."

The immortal looked startled. "You-You know of what happened? How?"

Still scowling, the youth snorted. "Researching a lot of books, and asking the right questions of the right people."

A confused Jay looked from the Warrior to the goddess, trying to make sense of the conversation. "What are you talking about? Former Dragon King? What?"

Archie released a long sigh, slumping back in his seat. Turning his eyes to his Leader, he said, "Dragons live in groups, in clans, if you will. If the group gets big enough, one of the dragons is named leader, named Dragon King. During the time when Jason and the Argonauts went on their adventure, Equinox was named leader of one such group."

"Archie, I do not want you sharing this information!" Hera interrupted, glaring at the Warrior.

He snorted, sparing the goddess a glance. "I have no choice Hera. You know that."

For a long moment, the two locked eyes. Archie stared into the eyes of the leader of the gods, forcing his eyes to remain cold. _Damn. One vision can change everything for us. _Finally, the goddess looked away. She looked at the Leader, before giving the Warrior a final glance. "Fine. Continue."

Forcing back his victorious grin, Archie pulled himself out of his chair. He started to pace around the room, hands clasped behind his back. "Like I said, Equinox was named leader of his clan. And though no one knows why, he was also somehow indebted to Medea. Thus, when the clan was under his rule, it did not attack humans."

"But what does this have to do with us?" Jay interrupted, walking over to the book to stare down at the dragon.

Shooting the Leader an annoyed look, Archie snapped, "I'm getting to that! After Jason returned from his adventure involving the Golden Fleece, he married Creusa, thus, well, pissing off Medea. She went a little crazy after Jason left her, and broke her ties with Equinox."

Jay looked up from the book, frowning. "Broke her ties? What does _that_ mean?"

Archie blinked, pausing in his pacing, before he shrugged. "I'm not entirely sure. The book mentioned it, but it didn't go into detail."

"Huh." Was all the Leader said, staring down at the book once again. Archie eyed him for a moment, before he started pacing again.

"I do know that in breaking her ties with Equinox, Medea caused a lot of trouble in the dragon clan's hierarchy, and this resulted in a lot of angry dragons flying around for a few years, doing their best to eat humans, set things on fire, and generally cause chaos."

"So what happened? Nothing good I'm guessing." Jay said, turning a page in the book and frowning at the detailed image of a dragon eating a flock of cattle.

Turning around in his pacing, Archie said, "You've got that right. This is were Cronus comes in." Jay's head snapped up, and a dark grin formed on the Warrior's face. "After breaking ties with Medea, Equinox spent some time not being able to control his clan. In desperation, he turned to Cronus."

Jay stared at Archie with narrowed eyes. "I'm guessing that didn't go well."

The youth only shrugged. "Cronus did what he usually does. He betrayed the clan, and wiped out most of the dragons in it. One of the only survivors of the clan was Equinox. But because he indirectly caused the destruction of the most powerful dragon clan in existence, he was banished."

"Banished isn't the right word for what happened to Equinox." Hera said suddenly, making both heroes jump. Archie turned around to scowl at the goddess, who was standing near the door, her hands folded, and her eyes staring blankly over the garden. "The other Dragon Kings of the time ordered the lesser dragons of the clans to attack him, and they did so, nearly killing him. Once they finished with him, they forbade him from ever going near another dragon. Ever."

Archie came to a stop in front of the book, staring down at a picture of the great dragon. He spoke, his voice gruff with emotion, "This was an especially cruel fate, because Equinox was once a dragon favored by the gods."

"Why was this so cruel?" Jay asked, glancing from Hera to Archie. Archie said nothing, staring down at the image in the book.

Hera sighed. "It was cruel, because as Equinox was a favored being, we made him immortal."

Jay's eyes widened as Archie gave a mirthless chuckle. "Imagine." The Warrior said. "Spending hundreds upon hundreds of years without being able to spend time with creatures like you." He shook his head. "What a lonely existence."

"This is a sad story, but, I still don't understand what it has to do with us." Jay said slowly, scratching his neck in confusion.

Archie snorted, holding back his annoyance. "Think about it Jay. We spent the morning looking for Crunos's weaknesses. Theresa has a vision involving him and a massive black dragon. A few hours later, we find out about Equinox, a dragon that Cronus once betrayed. Jay, Equinox is an immortal. He's still alive, and he might just be what we need to finally destroy Cronus!"

Archie couldn't help it. He rolled his eyes as his Leader's back straightened, and a small "Oh." escaped his throat. _Duh. Took him long enough. _

/./

A.N. Whahahahaha! I've messed around with Greek history a little, twisting it so it works better with my story. If you don't like it, I apologize.

I'm sorry if this annoys you. I've created an O.C. Kinda. The Original Equinox is a poster in my room. I was staring at him the other day, and BANG! Inspiration! There's an link in my profile if you want to see what he looks like.

Equinox is going to be big. In more ways than one, I promise you that. Now, If you think I'm insane for bringing a dragon into my story, why not say so? Review and tell me I'm crazy. I promise, I won't mind!

.

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Review!


	8. Missions and Hormones

A.N. Hiya again folks! Here we have chapter eight of Time Stops. This chapter's shout-out goes to irish-table, the very first person to review this fic, and who's still reviewing my chapters. Not to mention she's got an awesome story in the works. Thanks for the reviews, and don't stop writing!

Disclaimer: Yada, yada, yada, I own nothing.

Time Stops

/

Archie slouched in his seat, scowling to himself as Herry started his truck. Jay had made him promise not to say anything about Equinox until they were back at the brownstone, where they could tell the team all at once what their new mission was. Archie's scowl deepened as his thoughts turned toward what Jay had planned for them. _Dragon hunting. We're going to track down a former King Dragon and convince him to try and help us defeat Cronus. Oi. _

Theresa turned her head, glancing over her shoulder at the Warrior. Blinking at his scowling face, she asked, "What's with you?"

Sitting up in his seat, the youth shrugged. "Nothing. Bad mood, is all."

As Herry pulled out onto the street, Jay glanced back at him, eyes narrowing slightly. Not bothering to meet his Leader's eyes, Archie slumped again in his seat, crossed his arms, and closed his eyes. He stubbornly remained that way until Herry pulled his truck into the brownstone's garage, ignoring his teammates.

Quickly climbing out of the truck, Archie called to Jay, "We need to talk a minute before we head in Jay."

Closing his door, Jay turned around to stare at the Warrior with wide eyes. "Uh... O.K.?"

As Herry and Theresa retreated the garage, Archie walked around the truck, coming around to lean against it, carefully watching his Leader. Jay stared back, looking nervous. Archie bit back a smirk as he grinned, "Relax Jay. It's about Equinox."

Jay copied the Warrior's stance, carefully leaning against the customized truck. He frowned, glancing around the garage. "What about him?"

Archie swallowed, tilting his head back. Closing his eyes, he slowly said, "Jay, I think we need to be careful about this mission. I have a feeling that Equinox, and whatever he ends up doing for us, may just be what we need to finally finish off Cronus once and for all."

"What?!" Jay's startled voice rang out in the garage. "Archie, you can't know that for sure!"

The purple-haired youth only shrugged. "I'm not sure, entirely, but come on Jay! Think about it." Opening his eyes to meet his Leader's, he continued, "It's always been Cronus with the impossible allies, the ones that still are holding a grudge after _hundreds _of years. A dragon can hold a grudge just as well as a human can. He might be what we need to finally take Cronus down for _**good."**_

Jay stared wide-eyed at the Warrior. Finally, the Leader grinned. "We might be able to finally be done with this. All we have to do is talk Equinox into taking down Cronus for us."

Archie frowned. "Jay, that's what I'm warning you about! We're not talking about a human, or even a god here. Equinox was a Dragon King, and if we're going to convince him to help us, it's going to take more than luck to do so."

Jay nodded seriously, taking in Archie's words. Then, clapping his hand on the Warrior's shoulder, he grinned again. "That's why there's more than one of us Arch. We'll figure this out." Pulling away, the Leader turned and walked out of the garage, presumingly to tell the team of their newest mission.

Archie's shoulder's slumped, and he rubbed at his temples, trying to push away an impending migraine. _I hope he knows what he's doing. _Pushing off the truck, Archie followed the Leader out of the garage, and walked into the dorm.

No matter what happens to me, I want to keep you safe...

Odie leaned back in his chair, exhaling slowly, glancing from Jay to Archie with narrowed eyes. "So, you're telling us our next mission involves not only tracking down a former Dragon King, but convincing it not to kill us, and instead join us in battle against Cronus."

Jay chuckled weakly, scratching the back of his neck. "Pretty much, yea."

Archie held back a groan as he watched the rest of the team share alarmed glances. _Thank you Jay. Good to know you know how to present an idea in a way that would make someone actually want to do it. _Pushing away from the counter he had been again leaning on, the Warrior glanced around the table where the rest of the team was seated. All of them looked apprehensive.

Glancing around the silent table, Archie suddenly clapped his hands together, making everyone jump. He scowled angrily at his teammates, and was more than satisfied to see more than one pair of eyes widen in fear. Clearing his throat, his voice was the only sound in kitchen. "Before you guys all jump to your feet at once in excitement, I want to make something clear."

Jay's eyes narrowed, but everyone else only watched him expectantly. Archie focused on his attention on Odie, "From what I know, Equinox is in Europe. Has Hephaestus finished upgrading the Hover Jet? I think I'd rather use that than fly first class."

Odie's wide grin appeared, and Archie gave a mental sigh of relief. Odie said, "When I last talked to him, Hephaestus told me that he had nearly finished with it."

Neil glanced from the Brain to the Warrior, confusion clear on his face, "What's Hephaestus doing with the Hover Jet? I thought it worked just fine."

Archie shrugged, "It does work fine. But for long distance trips, across the seas or whatever, it would've have been pretty uncomfortable for the seven of us to fit in a two-man plane."

Atlanta nudged the Charm, who still looked confused. "Hephaestus is making the Hover Jet bigger, Neil. Who knows? If you're lucky, we might let you fly it someday."

Around the table, grins appeared as Neil's chest swelled. "Hey! I am lucky!" He turned to Odie. "Does that mean I get to fly the Hover Jet?"

Archie had to quickly turn away as Odie's face visibly paled. Yanking open the refrigerator, he pulled out a jug of milk as Odie stammered out maybes, we'll sees, and possibles (if no one else on the team were available). Managing to keep a straight face, Archie turned back to the table, placing the jug down.

Clearing his throat, redirecting attention to himself, the Warrior said, "Perhaps you guys haven't figured it out yet, but finding Equinox is going to be important."

"Why?" Asked Herry as he poured himself a glass of milk. "I get that it's important we find him, I mean, an immortal dragon? He'll have to know something about Cronus."

"Exactly." Archie nodded at the Brawn, who grinned around his glass. "Equinox will have to know something about Cronus, and even if he doesn't -"

"Dragons don't like to be controlled!" Atlanta's voice rang out in the kitchen, and Archie raised his eyebrows at her in question. She looked at Theresa asking, "Do you remember the dragon Medelia was flying around on when she was being controlled? He didn't look to happy."

Theresa's eyes widened as she turned excitedly to the Huntress. "I do remember that! That dragon looked like it wanted to eat someone!"

"Theresa, when you said the dragon in your vision was being controlled, how did you know?" Archie asked, glancing at Jay as he did so.

Theresa frowned at the table. "There was no ... physical connection between them, but Cronus was somehow _leading _the dragon; almost like a dog on a leash."

A smirk appeared on Archie's face. "A leash?" He repeated incredulously. Shaking his head, the Warrior said, "Wow. Now I'm sure of it."

Neil looked up from his mirror, a perfectly formed milk-mustache on his lip. "Sure of what Arch?"

A dark chuckle escaped the youth. "I think all we're going to have to do is _mention _Cronus to Equinox, and we'll have a new ally on our side."

Odie grinned. "You think so?"

Flicking imaginary dust off his shoulder, Archie coolly said, "Well, we won't be able to find out, you know, until after Hephaestus has finished upgrading the Hover Jet, will we?"

Jumping from the table, Odie called over his shoulder, excitement easily defined in his voice, "I have to make a phone call! I'll see you guys in the morning!"

For a moment, there was confused silence at the table. Then, with chuckles of laughter, most of the team pushed away from the table. Nothing exceptionally heroic was planned for that night, unless the amount of food Herry planned on consuming counted, thus the group dispersed about the dorm, laughing and joking. Neil and Atlanta headed upstairs, bickering over their uncompleted project, while Herry and Jay wandered into the T.V. Room, presumingly to rot their brains with a few hours of video games.

Archie let a long sigh of relief escape as he leaned against the counter, rubbing at his eyes. '_Yes.' _He thought to himself, allowing a smile to appear on his face. _'Yes, Jay told the team about Equinox, but now, they're actually looking forward to it.' _His smile widened into a grin. '_I may not be team leader, but that wasn't all that hard to do.'_

Someone cleared their throat, and Archie jumped, his thoughts scattering. Standing almost nose-to-nose with him, was Theresa. She gave him a smile, one much brighter then what she'd been giving their teammates throughout the night. "Hi." She murmured, still standing very close.

Swallowing a lump in his throat, he gave a careful smile back. "Hey Terri." He nearly winced when his voice trembled, and the Fighter took a step back, leaning against the table, watching him with half lidded eyes.

"I should apologize to you." She said, finally breaking their gaze, looking down at her feet. He said nothing, only watching her as she swallowed, her eyes not lifting. She stammered, "I'm sorry for what happened at the park."

_**Oh. **_Stomach plummeting to his feet, Archie quickly pushed away from the counter, fighting to keep his face blank. Brushing past the girl, he muttered, "I'm sorry too. I shouldn't have tried something like that."

"No!" Before he could make his retreat, Theresa was again in front of him, one of her hands resting on his chest, freezing him to the floor. They locked eyes, and Archie felt something inside him shift as he stared into the deep green eyes of the strongest girl he had ever met. Still staring into his eyes, she said, "I'm not sorry about _that._ I'm sorry for running away the way I did."

"What exactly are you saying Theresa?" He asked, trying and failing miserably to keep a smile from forming on his face. She leaned closer to him, both hands on his chest now, and somehow, his arms were around her waist, drawing her closer.

Her eyes darted away from his, and Archie felt a thrill rise in his chest as he watched Theresa's face color. Her fingernails traced his shirt as she spoke, "I didn't mean to run away like that, back there. I was confused, I'm a little scared, and it seems like everything is changing so fast..." Trailing off, a weak chuckle escaped her, and Archie felt a smile appear on his own face.

A sudden thought struck him, and he tilted his head, examining the girl in his arms. "Theresa, if I'm going to fast -"

"No, you're not." She cut him off, finally raising her eyes to meet his once again. "Things are going quickly, but life is too short to wonder about moving to fast." She lifted her hand, and tentatively cupping his cheek, she stared into the Warrior's eyes, waiting.

"Theresa..." Archie's voice was gruff, and as he studied the girl. They were so close to each other, he could feel her breath on his face. Swallowing hard, he tried again, "Theresa..."

"Hey, is there any coke in the fridge?" A new voice made the both of them jump, and not two seconds later, as Jay entered the kitchen, Theresa was already escaping down the hall. Archie was left standing in the middle of the kitchen a half bewildered, half furious expression on his face. Jay stared at the Warrior with wide eyes, asking innocently, "Did I interrupt something?"

Only because there was a table between him and his Leader, did Archie not strangle him. Instead, he turned and stomped up the stairs, grumbling to himself. _I have __**no **__idea what just happened, but damn it Jay! Another thirty seconds... _Shaking his head, the Warrior made for the roof door, when a burst of girlish giggles from Atlanta's room stopped him in his tracks.

Still frozen in place, Archie's head tilted to the side as he slowly frowned. _Was that... Atlanta?? _Confused, and nosy, he turned in time to hear another round of giggles from the Huntress's room. He stared at the open door to her room. He thought about being kind, and leaving Atlanta to whoever was with her, but a glance down the stairs changed him mind.

Rising to his toes, he slowly crept closing to the door. As he got closer, he could hear a familiar pair of voices talking together, both sounding relaxed and comfortable with each other. He identified Atlanta's voice first.

"You _can't _be serious! The last thing you want to do is go on a date with Melanie Cooper!" She snapped at the other occupant of the room. Archie's jaw dropped as he realized who the Huntress was talking with.

"Well, it's not like I can talk someone else into going to see it with me! Melanie is only coming because she made me promise to pay for everything!" Neil snapped back at the girl. Archie could only stand immobile outside the door; out of sight, but immobile.

"Why do you want to see this movie so badly anyways? I heard it's not supposed to be all that good." Atlanta asked, just as Archie noticed his mouth was still hanging open. Closing it, he stealthily kept closer.

"Eh." Neil grunted in a dismissive tone. "My agent knows the director of the film. I was promised a part in his next movie if I showed up for opening night."

Archie shook his head, trying to comprehend what he was hearing. _Neil and Atlanta talking, and getting along? What is the world coming to? _He flattened against the wall, just outside Atlanta's room.

Atlanta was silent for a moment, before slowly asking, "So if all you have to do is show up and watch some movie, why do you need a date?"

"It's not just watching the movie." Neil explained. Archie discovered if he tilted his head the right way, he could see a sliver of the activity going on in Atlanta's room. There went the Charm, pacing around the room. "It's kinda a formal event, you know, black tie and suit. If I didn't show up with someone, then people would _talk._" He stressed the world 'talk' like it was some kind of curse word.

There was a creak, one that signified someone sitting on Atlanta's bed. The frame had always been squeaky. Archie leaned forward, trying to keep both of the room's occupants in sight. Atlanta asked. "Why didn't you ask us, ask someone on the team to come to this movie thing with you?"

"Come _on, _Lannie." Neil whined. "No one would be interested in coming to something like this with me. They're not going out of their way for me." Archie's foot nearly slipped on the floor, but he managed to catch himself without noticed.

"That's not true Neil! You know if you asked us, at least one of us would've come with you." Atlanta sounded affronted, and Archie only heard half of what she said next, "... want, I'll come with you on Friday."

"Really?" The genuine excitement and gratefulness in Neil's voice made a surge of guilt suddenly rush through Archie's stomach. _What am I doing? _Before he could overhear anything more of the conversation, the Warrior pushed away from the wall and silently escaped down the hall.

Clumping down the stairs, Archie was met with the unwelcome sight of Herry shoveling leftover... _somethings _into his mouth, his eyes glued to the T.V. The Brawn noticed him, and nodded. Archie nodded back slowly. Around a mouthful of food, Herry said, "Groun're og groun're glup prore shlupper."

Archie blinked, and with a sigh, said, "Swallow Herry."

The Brawn did so, giving Archie a sheepish grin. He repeated, "You're on your own for supper."

"Oh." The Warrior sighed. Mac 'n cheese for supper again. He frowned at Herry in reprimand. "Chew your food man, you're murdering my appetite."

Another grin. "Sorry. I yam what I yam."

Not bothering to roll his eyes, Archie turned and walked into the kitchen, his thought turning to food.

Can I tell you how beautiful I think you are? You rival the moon in mysterious beauty...

_Crimson hair was everywhere, curving around her face in delicious curls, framing deep green eyes and full red lips. Her hands trailed slowly down his back, leaving behind a trail of fire that burned behind his eyes, making them darken. His eyes followed his hand as he brushed her hair away from her neck, lightly tracing her skin. _

_He touched her right _there _and a moan was pulled from her throat. Her eyes fluttered as his fingers moved slowly down her body, making her arch against him. His own groan was sounded as she pressed closer to him, skin against heated skin. _

_Her breathing quickened, changing from long, breathy sighs to heated pants as they moved together. A low chuckled escaped him as he hovered over her, dark eyes watching her face. Their eyes locked, and a smile appeared on her face, lighting it up. He returned her smile, and she reached up, her warm hands cupping his face. _

_She pulled him down to her, and their lips were just the smallest of distances apart, when – _

_**Beep beep beep beep!! **_

Archie yelped, struggling to sit up in his bed, bloodshot eyes darting everywhere. His thoughts were fuzzy, and he remembered only glimpses of his dream. _Long red hair, green eyes, long legs... _

With a long groan, Archie collapsed back in his sheets, pulling his blankets over his head. Only after he did so did he realize his alarm clock was still beeping impatiently. His blankets lifted as he fixed his clock with a deadly glare.

The only one who looked up was Odie. Everyone else ignored the sudden enraged roar from Archie's room, and the _**CRASH **_that followed. Standing up from his seat at the table, the Brain pulled a big purple coffee cup from the cupboard, reaching for the coffee pot as he did so.

Four minutes later, when a bleary-eyed, wild-haired, still-mostly-asleep Archie stumbled into the kitchen, Odie pushed the mug into his hands. At the smell of coffee under his nose, Archie's eyes cracked open. When he only stared blankly down at his cup, Odie rolled his eyes. "Come on man. Drink. The. Coffee. Do you even sleep at night, or what?"

Archie only mumbled intelligibly, before slowly lifting the cup to his lips. At the first sip, his eyes went very wide. "Oh!" Another sip, and the Warrior relaxed against the counter, sending Odie a grateful grin. "Thanks man. That's the stuff."

"Man, your coffee could kill someone." Herry remarked, eying Archie's cup uneasily. Archie only shrugged.

"Immune. Can't kill me."

Herry rolled his shoulders. "That stuff still looks deadly."

Archie blinked. "It's to early for conversation. I need a shower." Pushing himself off the counter with a grunt, he placed his mug down and slowly made his way down the hall, still not entirely awake.

He might not of noticed her, if she hadn't greeted him with a cheerful, "Good morning Archie!"

Archie jumped, before focusing his eyes on the girl in front of him. _A morning person. Ugh. _Then his eyes registered what he was looking down at. Theresa was smiling up at him, hair still damp from her shower, a housecoat loosely hanging off her shoulders, her pale skin slighty pink from the heated water. He tried not to, but his eyes followed a droplet of water as it rolled down her neck, down her collarbone, down...

His throat suddenly very dry, Archie croaked out a "mornin'", before he pushed past the Fighter and ducked into the bathroom. After closing the door behind it, he sagged against it. _O.K. Archie, how does a **cold** shower sound?_

I'm falling so fast, falling into you. I've never felt so safe...

A few months before, the team had established a 'No Cronus' rule for Sundays, despite Jay's protests. This basically meant that unless Cronus had a large monster running around downtown destroying buildings, everyone had the day off. No Cronus hunting, no going to the school to talk to the gods, no doing anything that was out of the ordinary for a _normal_ group of teens. Archie loved Sundays.

After a cold shower and another two cups of coffee, he was feeling a little more human, and he wandered into the T.V. Room to find something to do. Neil and Atlanta were sharing a couch, cheering on Odie as he smashed monsters on the T.V. Herry was munching on a bowl of cheerios, slumped down in his seat on a battered armchair.

Archie glanced around the room. "Where's Theresa?"

From her seat on the couch, Atlanta looked up, a cheeky grin on her face. "Keeping tabs on her now, are you Archie? Anyway, she went shopping. Something about a new pair of shoes or something."

Instead of scowling, the Warrior gave the girl his own smirk, asking back, "Did you and Niel get that project of yours done?" A burst of triumph swelled in his chest as Archie watched both heroes' faces flush with color.

Neil quickly said, "We're still working on it." Archie only grinned, shaking his head. _Who knew something like **this** could be so entertaining? _

Before Archie could further torment his two friends, Jay came stumbling down the stairs. When he turned to look at him, Archie nearly let his jaw drop. He said to his Leader, "Wow, Jay. You look like crap."

Jay started, before sending his teammates an oddly guilty looking grin. He yawned hugely, before mumbling, "Couldn't sleep."

Archie felt himself frown, staring at the older youth with concern. His hair was everywhere, sticking up at odd angles. There were dark circles under his eyes, and Jay looked so haggard Archie couldn't help but feel sorry for him. The lines around the Leader's eyes looked more pronounced then ever. Archie asked, "Did you sleep at all last night? You don't look like it."

Jay's back straightened, and he tried for a grin. But under the sharp eyes of his team, the grin faded. Finally, the Leader said, "I did. A few hours at least." With that, Jay walked slowly into the kitchen. Archie stared after him until he was out of sight.

Waiting until he heard the shower start, Odie turned off his game, and glancing at Herry and Archie, said nervously, "Guys, I'm seriously getting worried about that guy."

Archie's frowned deepened, and he glanced around at his teammates, all of who were nodding, glancing at each other with wide eyes. _You're not the only one, Odie. _Sighing loudly, the Warrior rubbed his hands over his face. When he lowered his hands, he found himself being stared at by his teammates. He blinked, before setting his jaw. "What?"

"Come on Archie." Herry's pleading voice sounded first. He was now sitting up in his seat, large brown eyes staring worriedly down the hall. "You know that besides Theresa, you and Jay are the closest."

_We are? _Shaking his head, the purple-haired youth asked, "So? What does that have to do with anything?"

Neil rolled his eyes, still sitting on the couch. "Archie, can't you talk to him? Somethings going on with Jay. You know it, I know it, even the gods have noticed."

"Guys!" Archie hissed, narrowing his eyes at all of them. "I can't just go and grill Jay about his life. Whatever is going on with him, he can take care of it himself."

"Archie, you're supposed to be his friend!" Atlanta's stern voice made Archie flinch. _Crap. I'm in for it now. _Turning his attention to the Huntress, Archie tried not to cower as she fixed her angry glare at him. "You know as well as the rest of us that Jay will work himself into the ground. Can't you at least try to help him?"

Resisting the urge to groan in frustration, Archie shifted his eyes away from Atlanta's, running his hands through his hair. He tried not to notice the desperate tone in his voice as he asked, "Why am I always the one you guys turn to for these kinds of things?"

"Arch, you know how Jay is." This was Odie, who was now sitting down in an armchair, leaning his elbows on his knees. "Whatever is going on with him, he'll tell us eventually. But until he does, he's going to work himself to the bone trying to do it by himself."

"So what do you want me to do about it?" Archie asked, unconsciously straightening as he heard the shower turn off.

"Take him out of the brownstone for a few hours. Make him go sailing or something." Atlanta suggested, leaning forward to catch Archie's eyes. "Just ... let him be a normal guy for a few hours, without Cronus, or the gods, or training."

For a moment, Archie glanced around the room, taking in the expressions of his teammates. They were all staring at him expectantly, looking at him as though they knew he would make the right decision. Archie gulped as he realized he had often seen them watching Jay with similar expressions. _Why are they putting **me **in charge? _Instead of voicing his question, Archie sighed, before squaring his shoulders.

"Fine. I'll talk Jay into going out for a few hours."

The relieved and grateful expressions on the room's occupants left Archie feeling two things. It wasn't until a few hours later, when he was racing after Jay, who was chasing after a runaway baby carriage, did he realize what they were. Pride, for making the right choice and giving his teammates confidence that he would take care of Jay. And Guilt. Somehow, Archie felt as though he was taking something away from Jay, when he looked into the faces of his grateful teammates. They were starting to rely on _him, _instead of Jay, to make decisions. It was a little scary to admit that to himself.

That night, when he collapsed into his bed after a long day of spending it with his Leader, he lay on his back for a long time, trying to work out what was going on around him, and in his head. _Between the team, Theresa, Jay and Cronus, I'm going to go crazy by the end of the week..._Then a hint of a grin appeared on the Warrior's face. _Then again, having Theresa drive me crazy can't be that bad... _With thoughts of long red hair and green eyes flowing through his head, Archie rolled onto his side and quickly fell asleep.

/

A.N. There. Chapter Eight of Time Stops. I don't really like this chapter all that much, but I needed to get to Monday without just skipping a day. Hee-haha, ya gotta love what hormones can do to these kids. No promises, but I do believe the next chapter may just include some quest appearances by everyone's favorite time god!

Now, if you hated it, loved it, were bored by it, why not say so? Review, please and thank you.


	9. Underwear and Battles

A.N. H'lo everybody. Here we have chapter nine of Time Stops. This is my first time going into the darker side of writing. I hope you guys like it. It's a little more serious than what I'm used to writing, so be prepared for gore, angst, and a little suckiness.

This chapter's shout-out goes to Paradox-Barbarian-Princess, the hyper reviewer who has, thus far, reviewed every chapter. Not to mention the several really awesome stories she's written. I was nearly bowled over when she started review Time Stops. My story is good enough for her to review it? Wow!And I did go out and see that movie. Warrior Poet! Thank you again for the reviews, and don't stop your own writing!

Disclaimer: Nope. Still not mine. Eh, oh well.

Time Stops

/

"Archie!" Hermes, messenger of the gods, waved to the Warrior, a handful of packages under his arm. Archie, who had been leaning against the lockers, straightened and waved back. Coming to a stop in front of him, Hermes said, "I have a response to your letter. She seemed to be most interested in getting her response to you as quickly as possible." Handing over a thin brown package, the immortal looked around the crowded school hall way. "Goodness me. I will never understand the fashion choices of today's youth."

Biting back a snort of laughter as his eyes wandered down the god's outfit, a white toga decorated with purple stripes, and wooden sandles, Archie said, "Thanks Hermes."

Waving a dismissive hand, Hermes chuckled, "Not a problem. It's my job, remember?" Noticing Odie walking down the hall towards them, the god waved enthusiastically, calling, "Oh! Odie! I have a package for you!" The messenger made his way over to the hero, nearly tripping over a stray binder as he did so.

Archie glanced down at the package in his hands, a proud smirk appearing on his features. _If this is what I think it is, then maybe getting Equinox on our side won't be so difficult after all. _An impatient clearing of a throat made him flinch, and when he turned, he resisted grimacing as he looked down at Theresa.

Hands on her hips, she asked, "Well?"

He couldn't resist. Copying her stance, he raised an eyebrow. "Well, what?"

He nearly laughed as she scowled at him. "Well, who sent you the package? And what's in it?"

_Now_ he laughed, leaning against the lockers once again as he crossed him arms. "Nosy much?"

Theresa's scowl deepened. "Archie! Come on."

Chuckling, Archie only shrugged, a mysterious smirk on his face. Pushing away from the lockers again, he turned around and pulled open his locker. A couple sheets of looseleaf escaped the messy locker before he could shove the package inside it and slam it shut again. _I should think about cleaning that locker someday. _Shrugging, the Warrior turned back to Theresa, who was still glowering at him.

"Hey guys." Odie joined them, the package from Hermes tucked under his arm. "What's going on?"

Theresa turned to Odie, an impatient look on her face. "Odie, Archie isn't sharing!"

"He isn't?" The Brain asked, before to turning to Archie and shaking a finger under his nose. "Bad Archie. Share with Theresa."

Snorting with laughter, Archie knocked away Odie's hand. "I _will _share. But not 'till after school."

Theresa pouted. "You're gonna make me wait?"

He nodded, a smug grin on his face. She huffed and turned to Odie. "Fine! Maybe Odie will be nice to me. Odie?"

Archie grinned as he watched the Brain blush. "Y-yes Theresa?"

Clasping her hands together, the Fighter leaned forward, staring at Odie with big doe eyes. "What's in the package Odie? Who sent it?"

Archie shook with suppressed laughter as the Brain's blush deepened. "Oh, w-well it's kinda personal..."

Theresa leaned closer to Odie, sticking out her lower lip in a pout. "Aww, come on Odie. Please?"

Odie shot Archie a pleading look, but the Warrior was to busy trying not to burst out laughing to notice. Theresa was still staring at him, big green eyes trying to peer into his blue ones. Finally, with an aggravated sigh, Odie threw his hands in the air. "Fine! Stop staring at me like that! Here!" He shoved the package into Theresa's arms. "You can open it for me!"

Grinning enthusiastically, Theresa nearly ripped the brown paper off the boxed package. Archie leaned forward to get a better look as Theresa pulled the tape off the top of package. Finally, she lifted the lid of the package and peered inside. Her reaction was instantaneous. She gasped as her jaw dropped open, and she nearly dropped the box. Catching herself, she tightened her grip on the box, and quickly pushed it into Odie's waiting hands, blushing wildly.

Confused, Archie stared at his two friends, both whose faces were bright red. "What? What is it?"

Theresa gasped again, putting a hand to her throat. She tried to glare at Odie, who was looking everywhere but in her direction. "Odie! Why did you let me see that?"

Odie slammed the box's lid shut, still blushing. "I tried to tell you it was private!"

"Ugh! Gross, Odie." Theresa said in a disgusted voice, before turning and marching away, nose in the air. She nearly crashed into a pair of cheerleaders, and her blush deepened.

Blinking at the retreating girl's back, Archie asked, "Odie? What – or who sent you that box?"

Odie cleared his throat. "Remember Calypso?"

"The sea nymph from that one island?" Archie guessed, scratching his nose. Odie nodded.

"W-well, this is from her. She sent me a letter the other week, saying she was sending me this. It's got well... _personal_ stuff in it." Odie's voice got lower and lower, until he was nearly whispering.

_What exactly does he define as 'personal'? _Archie tilted his head in confusion, then a light click on in his head. "Oh. Oh! You mean Theresa just saw a box full of -"

"Yes! Now shut up Archie!" Odie cried, but to no avail, as Archie burst out laughing. He laughed so hard he fell against the lockers, clutching his stomach. Odie pleaded with his friend, "Come on Archie! You're not going to tell anyone about this or something, are you? Archie?"

Still laughing hard, Archie rested his hands on his knees, nearly doubling over. Odie continued to plead with the Warrior, until finally he straightened, a big grin still on his face.

As the bell rang for his next class, Archie patted the Brain on the shoulder, nearly knocking him over. "Pretty impressive my man. You've got girls sending you their underwear now." He leaned forward, still holding Odie's shoulder, "I promise I won't tell people."

Odie sighed with relief as Archie started to walk towards his next class. Just before he turned a corner, however, the purple-haired teen glanced back with a massive smirk on his face and giving a wink called, "For a week or so, anyway."

Archie grinned at the exaggerated cries following him. _That was definitely quite amusing. So Odie is getting sexy underwear from Calypso now? _Chuckling at this thought, he entered his nest classroom. _After History, Lunch Time! Yes!_

Walking into his classroom, he glanced around the room, forcing a bored expression on his face. History was, big surprise, one of his best subjects. But showing enthusiasm for a subject most of the student body detested was not the best of ideas. Thus, as he slowly made his way over to his desk, he tried to make it look like he'd rather be anywhere else than here. Just as he reached his desk however, the school intercom sounded.

The shrill voice of the school secretary, Miss Phosphite, called loudly, "Archie Vincent, to the office please. Archie Vincent please come to the office."

_Crap. _Groaning in frustration, the youth turned and shuffled back the way he came. Luck did not seem to be on his side that day, for when he exited the classroom, he crashed into Herry. "Ouch! Hey man, watch where you're going."

Instead of apologizing, the Brawn frowned. "Jay just contacted me on the PMR. It's Cronus."

Archie frowned, glaring at Herry in annoyance. "Keep it down Herry. We don't need people finding out about this. We meeting at your truck?" At Herry's nod, Archie turned and quickly started down the hall. "I'll meet you there, I need to pick up my stuff."

In the midst of Chaos, all I can see is you...

"Huh. I see the problem." Archie commented as Herry put his truck into park, just outside an empty field.

Neil leaned forward, a frown marring his features. "Please tell me that isn't Agnon."

Climbing out of the truck as he reached for his whip Archie grumbled, "Well this is definitely **not **what I had in mind for today." He glanced at Theresa, who was staring with wide eyes across the field. Nudging her shoulder with his, he muttered, "Won't this be fun?" A weak smile was her only response.

Across the field from the team of heroes stood two figures. They had their backs turned, but it was easy to identify them. The larger figure was Agnon, Cronus's most loyal giant, the only giant Cronus ever bothered to call by name. He was considerably bigger than the last time Archie had seen him, by at least several dozen feet. Standing beside the giant was the Time God himself.

Cronus was wearing his usual black suit, and had his hands clasped behind his back. Archie was relieved to see that the crazed immortal was not holding some random, chaos and/or pain inducing weapon. _Maybe he thinks a super sized Agnon will be enough to handle us. _Archie clenched his whip in his hand, glaring across the field.

"O.K." Jay said as his team lined up beside him. "Five bucks to the first person who can tell me what's wrong with this picture."

"Agnon is at least a hundred feet taller than normal?" Guessed Odie, who was rapidly typing on his computer, presumingly to find the 'how' behind the giants new height.

"We have a winner." Herry's deadpan voice made Archie grin.

"Herry, you and Archie take down Agnon. The girls, Neil, and I will deal with Cronus." Jay's commanding voice brought everyone to attention, and Archie rolled his eyes, before narrowing them at his opponent, who was standing across the field.

Without a word to his teammates, Archie started forward, keeping low on the ground as he rushed silently towards the giant. _Why is this so easy? _Soon he was within range with his whip, and clenching it tightly in his hand, the Warrior eyed the giant carefully. _Even when he's four times bigger than normal, Agnon is still_ really _ugly._

"Ah, Archie! Just the hero I wanted to see." A new voice interrupted his thoughts and before he could move, suddenly Archie was being lifted in the air by the throat. Struggling as hard as he could did nothing, but when he finally met the black eyes of his captor, Archie felt himself freeze. "Good afternoon, Warrior."

Archie sneered, glaring at the god who had his neck gripped in his hands. "Let go of me Cronus, so I can kill you." He choked, trying to breathe as the god tightened his grip painfully.

A harsh bark of laughter was heard, and Archie was suddenly thrown to the ground. His back skidded against dirt and grass, and all his air rushed out of his lungs. Gasping for air, trying to breathe, he focused his eyes on the maniacal immortal standing above him. Cronus smirked down at him. "The young hero still thinks he can defeat me. Ha! You _children _don't stand a chance against me."

Archie was not known as the Warrior without good reason. He slowly pulled himself to his feet still giving Cronus, who was standing above him, a deadly glare. His hands clenched into fists, and his eyes widened slightly as he realized he was missing something. _Crap. Where is my whip? _Cronus let another crazy-sounding laugh loose, still looming over the Warrior. "Did you see what I did to Agnon? Impressive, isn't it?"

Archie snorted, carefully shifting his eyes around, trying to locate his weapon. "Very. How did you do it, I wonder?" He straightened his back as he discovered a new problem. Scowling, he shouted across the field, "Theresa?! What the hell?"

"Shut up, Archie!" She yelled back, dodging away from an enraged Agnon, who was swinging his fists widely, trying to smash her under his over-sized hands.

Archie _felt_ more than saw the energy building close to him, and with a strangled yell, jumped to the side. A massive blast of onyx energy _**slammed **_into the ground he had just been standing on, scorching the grass, burning away everything. A decent sized crater was left behind when the dust kicked up from the explosion settled.

"Blast it!" Cronus cursed, looking around for his opponent. A scream interrupted his search, and he glanced up to see Agnon successfully hit the Fighter, knocking her to the ground. An evil smirk danced across the immortal's face as he watched his massive giant grin victoriously and start towards the fallen heroine, clenching and unclenching his massive fists.

Just before Agnon reached Theresa, there was a sudden cry from somewhere in the field. Cronus watched with widened eyes as Archie charged out of nowhere, again wielding his deadly whip. "Agnon!" But the time god's warning came to late, and Archie already sent his whip flying.

Agnon looked up at exactly the wrong – or right – moment. Even from where Cronus stood, he could hear the **crunch **as the deadly metal stuck the giant in the nose, shattering it. A tortured scream escaped Agnon's throat, and both his hands were raised to his face, as blood started to spurt from the hole where his nose had just been.

Archie skidded to a stop, standing over Theresa protectively, glaring up at Agnon, his breaths coming in short gasps. The whip hanging from his hands coiled around him, ready to move at his command. The giant seemed to reregister the two humans below him, and he lowered his blood covered hands towards them, growling in anger and pain. Archie's lips curled in anger, and he jerked his arm forward.

This time the whip coiled around one of Agnon's arms, wrapping itself around the muscled arm several times before tightening. "How does that saying go again?" Archie's calm voice mused, and he gripped his whip with both hands, positioning his thumb over a trigger on the side of the handle. "Oh yes. Something like _**this**_!"

Yanking hard down on the whip, causing the giant to stumble forward, the Warrior yelled, "The bigger they come..." He flicked the switch, and a crackle of energy sounded from the handle. "The harder they **fall**!"

Theresa screamed at the same time Agnon did, but her scream was nearly drowned out by the giant's. Agnon's agonized screams echoed across the field as Archie's whip powered. Smoke started curling away from the giant's captured arm as nearly 12 000 volts of energy surged though the Warrior's whip and into his arm. Skin blackened, and burned away, leaving only whitened bone behind. And still Agnon screamed, making everyone on the field wince in pain as the screams became louder and louder.

Scrambling to her feet, Theresa quickly went beside the Warrior, who was still standing with both hands gripping his whip. Grabbing his shoulder, she screamed, "Archie! Enough, please!"

_Theresa... is calling me. _The girl's voice caused an instant reaction, and Archie jumped. Realizing what he was doing, the youth flicked his wrists, turning off the switch. Obediently, the whip snapped away from Agnon's arm, and a horrible _tearing _could be heard as skin and muscle were torn away as well.

"Agnon! NO!" Both heroes turned to see Cronus running towards them, towards his loyal giant. Agnon screamed again, before slowly tumbling to the ground, twitching and bleeding. Both teenagers stared in shock as Cronus rushed by them, his normally arrogant face filled with pain. Coming to a stop beside the fallen giant, Cronus knelt by his face. "Agnon! Get up! Get up and fight! AGNON!!"

Slipping an arm around Theresa's waist, Archie started pulling them back, away from the time god and his unmoving servant. Archie looked down to his whip, and paled. _That's – a lot of blood. Did I do that? _The field was silent as Cronus continued to knell beside his fallen giant. Archie could see the giant's chest rise and fall as he struggled to breathe.

Cronus, still looking horribly pained, gently rested his hand on the giant's chest. Still backing away from the two immortals, Archie felt his jaw drop as he heard Agnon groan, "M-master. I-I have f-failed you."

"No, Agnon." Cronus choked, bending further of the giant. "No, my brother. You did not fail."

Still clinging to his side, Theresa gasped, "Did he just say _'my brother'?" _Archie could only nod his head, staring in disbelief.

Agnon coughed, the sound somehow echoing across the field. His gravely voice sounded again, weaker this time, "M-master, I-I am so-sorry."

"Do not be sorry my brother." Cronus slid his hand up the chest of the giant, and he spoke again, "Rest now. Rest Agnon."

Archie couldn't take his eyes away from the scene. The Warrior watched as the massive chest continued to rise and fall.

Rise, hitch in pain, and fall.

Rise, a little higher this time, and fall.

Rise and fall.

Then, nothing.

Swallowing hard, Archie looked down at Theresa as she choked back a sob and buried her face in his neck. Not knowing what else to do, he tightened his grip on her waist, pulling her closer. Slowly, it began to register what he had just done. _We are at war. You know you have killed before. _Closing his eyes, pushing away everything, he buried his face in Theresa's long red hair, letting her familiar and comforting scent take over his senses.

He _had _killed things before. Harpies, the Typhoeus, a few dozen vampires, maybe three or four minotaurs, but never had he killed something so... familiar. Agnon was always around when Cronus attacked them, but now, the loyal giant was gone. Archie felt an unfamiliar mix of rush of emotions flow through his as he continued to grip the girl in his arms. Guilt, pride, pain, sympathy, and anger rushed through him, making his mind spin.

"You." Archie stiffened as a hate-filled voice called. "You, damned Warrior, will pay for that."

Pulling away from Theresa, Archie looked at Cronus, who was standing again, both hands clenched at his sides. As he watched, a drop of blood slipped down the time god's hand, running down his fingers. When the Warrior raised his eyes to meet the God of Time's eyes, he instinctively flinched. He had never seen such fury and pain in anyone's eyes. Swallowing back fear, he shot a glance at the Fighter, who was still standing close to him. "Theresa. Run."

"What? No!" She hissed, and she was suddenly at his side again, clinging to his shoulder. He tried to push her away, but she only gripped him harder.

"Damn-it Theresa, I'm not letting you get hurt!" Archie snapped at Theresa. But she ignored his words, and suddenly, Cronus started laughing.

"The Fighter and the Warrior? Oh, isn't that _inspiring?" _Cronus called, the mocking tone in his voice making anger surge in Archie's blood. Then, his eyes widened as he watched Cronus curve both hands in front of himself. "Well why don't I give you a taste of your own medicine, eh Archie?!"

This time, Archie _did _see the ball of energy growing between Cronus's hands, and he could honestly say he'd rather not have seen it. The blackened ball of energy form in midair, with deadly looking spikes of energy randomly shooting everywhere. Archie only partially registered Theresa pulling his arm, screaming at him to move, get out of the way, but he didn't move. He lifted his eyes to meet the maddened time god's, and Cronus sent him an arrogant grin.

_So this is how I die? _Archie finally moved, shoving Theresa away from him, sending her stumbling into the waiting arms of Jay, who was standing beside them. _Standing in a field, staring into the eyes of my enemy? _The black ball was surging towards him now, moving so fast it was almost a blur.

Suddenly, the Warrior was _**shoved **_to the side, hit so hard he went flying into the ground. Then all he could hear was screaming. It sounded like two people screaming, but how could that be? Rolling onto his stomach, Archie looked up, and felt his jaw drop open. "Neil!?"

It _was _Neil lying prone on the ground, sprawled out with his limbs everywhere. Scrambling to his feet, Archie paled as he saw the deep wounds on the Charm's chest. Three deep claw marks, all the way across his chest, with blood rapidly soaking his normally pristine designer shirt. Neil was screaming, but he was not the only one.

Atlanta's scream was a war cry, and she was struggling fiercely against Herry, who had grabbed her around the waist to keep her from charging at Cronus. She snarled in fury, flailing and kicking. "Let me go, let me go, let me_** go!! **_I'll kill him, _I'll kill him_, get _**off **_of me!" Tears were streaming down her face as she continued to struggle against Herry. Archie forced his eyes away, in time to see Jay start forward.

"Sorry Jay!" A maniac laugh came from Cronus, who was reaching into his pocket. "I think I'm done with you _children _for the day." Pulling something out of his pocket, the god threw it against the ground, causing a large portal to be created at his feet. Within seconds, he and the dead giant had disappeared underground, into the portal.

For a moment, no one moved, all a little startled by the sudden disappearance of the immortal. Then, Neil made a small noise of pain; a weak whine.

Immediately, Atlanta wrenched herself from Herry's grasp, and rushed over to the fallen hero's side. Dropping to her knees beside him, she leaned forward, crying hard. "N-Neil? Neil, p-please be O.K.. I-I promised I'd go to that movie with you, and I can't go alone, remember?" The Huntress choked back a sob, brushing a few loose hairs away from Neil's pale face. "People would _t-talk."_

Besides Atlanta's shaking shoulders as she tried to suppress her tears, there was no other movement. Archie glanced around at his teammates with a scowl. Theresa had pulled away from Jay, and was now standing close to Neil and Atlanta, her hands covering her mouth. Herry, Odie, and Jay were all standing stock still, waiting for something, for someone to take charge. Jay didn't move. Growling as anger surged in his belly, Archie snarled, "Alright!"

Everyone standing jumped, and looked to the Warrior with wide eyes. Even Jay looked expectant. Archie focused on Theresa first. "Terri, what can you do to heal him?"

Theresa shook her head. "Not a lot. I having training in healing, but..."

Archie glanced at Neil. Blood was starting to pool underneath his body, and his face was still very pale. Swallowing back the bile that threatened to force it's way out his throat, he choked out, "Just do what you can for now." He glanced at the Brain, who was still staring at his fallen comrade. "Odie! Call Hermes on your PMR and get him to open a portal in the field."

At Archie's commanding tone, Odie jumped. But hearing the directions given to him, the small hero reached into his pocket to pull out his PMR, and took a few steps away from the group. Theresa was already knelt beside Neil and she was moving her hands down his chest, whispering something Archie didn't understand. Atlanta had backed away from the motionless Charm, her face very white.

Archie quickly moved to the Huntress's side, and when he placed his hand on her shoulder, she jumped, large green eyes locking with his dark ones. "Archie? Is Neil going to -"

"No." He quickly cut her off, before tightening his grip on her arm. "But I need you to run to Herry's truck and grab the first-aid kit in there. I think we're going to need it." Archie saw the relieved gratefulness in Atlanta's eyes, but said nothing as she pulled away from him and started jogging for Herry's truck.

Turning to Herry, the Warrior said, "We're gonna need the stretcher in your truck. Run and get your truck, will ya Herry?"

Herry nodded, shooting Neil and Theresa a quick look. "Sure thing, Arch."

Not even bothering to glance at Jay, Archie turned his attention to Theresa, who had pulled away from Neil's prone figure. She was very white, but there was a grim look of satisfaction on her face. Quickly moving to stand beside her, the Warrior slipped a steadying arm around her waist as she swayed, holding her up. "Well?" He asked, almost afraid to hear the answer.

Theresa sighed, leaning against him. "I've slowed down the bleeding, and closed some of his smaller wounds. But if we don't get Neil to Chiron soon..." She glanced at him, her green eyes filled with pain. "Archie, we might lose him."

Archie scowled, looking away, and saw Atlanta come rushing up, gripping the first-aid kit in her hands. Looking back to Theresa as he pulled away from her, he said, "No. No way. I'm not going to let that happen. Not to Neil, not to you, not to _anyone." _

Odie stepped closer to the clustered group, holding his PMR close to his ear. "Guys, I have Hermes on line. He said he can't get a portal here for at least five minutes."

_Just what we need. _With a growl, Archie snatched Odie's PMR away from him. Snapping at the Brain, he said, "You're the best at first-aid. Go help Atlanta." Bringing the PMR up to his ear, Archie snarled into it, "_Hermes!" _

A yelp on the other end of the line made Archie smirk, and he growled into the walky-talky, "If a portal doesn't open up in this field in _less than thirty seconds, _I will make sure _everyone _finds out about those websites! _Do you hear me?" _

Archie barely heard the god's yelp of fear, as Herry had just roared up in his truck. Glancing around impatiently, he snapped into the PMR, _"Twenty seconds Hermes!"_

As Herry jumped out of his idling truck, Archie turned and said to Jay, "What are you waiting for? Go help Herry with the stretcher!"

An alarmed Jay nodded mutely, and darted away from the Warrior. Rolling his eyes, Archie took a moment to examine the scene. Seven young teenagers, all radically different from each other, brought together through random famous ancestors and a power-hungry time god. Before he could continue his musings, theres was a weird squelching sound not two feet behind him.

Whirling around, Archie felt a relived grin appear on his face. Lifting the PMR, the Warrior said in a much calmer voice, "Nice job Hermes. Your secret is safe for now."

A swirling mass of purple and silver energy swirled in front of him, and Archie could see glimpses of Hermes' office through the portal. He lifted the PMR to his mouth again, "Oh, and Hermes? You may want to make sure your office door is open."

There was a crackle, then the PMR sounded, "Why?"

Archie smirked, "Well, we might be driving Herry's truck through that portal in a few seconds here."

Ignoring the squawk of "_WHAT_?!" Archie clicked the talky off, and turned back to his team. Herry and Jay already had a mostly bandaged Neil on the stretcher, and were carefully carrying him to Herry's waiting truck, where a pale Odie was standing, ready to help lift the Charm into the the truck. Theresa and Atlanta were standing off to the side, Theresa holding Atlanta in a protective grip. Archie pretended he didn't notice to tears still streaming down the Huntress's face.

As soon as Neil was safely stowed in the back of the truck, Archie called out to his team, "O.K.! Everyone in the truck!"

Herry whirled around, a frown on his face, "Where are we going?" He called.

Jogging towards the truck, Archie grinned, jerking a thumb over his shoulder. "In the portal. Pick of some speed before you do so, will ya Herry?"

Herry looked from the portal, to his truck, to the Warrior, who was climbing into the truck, than back at the portal. Shaking his head, Herry climbed into the front see, glancing over his shoulder, "I hope you know what you're doing Archie."

Clicking his seatbelt on, Archie smirked. "Hey, if my bike can fit, then your truck should be able to as well."

Shrugging, the Brawn turned himself around, calling out to his teammates, "Plug in your seatbelts guys! This could be messy!"

Pulling the truck into a wide circle, Herry paused, staring at the swirling portal. Finally, shaking his head slowly, Herry squared his shoulders, before slamming his foot on the gas, sending the truck roaring forwards.

I'm not pushing away anymore, I don't want to lose my chance...

"Did you have to drive your truck through my office?" Hermes crossed his arms, trying to look imposing. Archie merely rolled his eyes, crossing his own arms.

"Well, since Neil was, you know, _bleeding_ _to_ _death_, I kinda figured you wouldn't mind." The Warrior smirked, glancing across the room to Hera, who was fussing over a fast asleep Neil nearly as much as Atlanta was. "I mean, if you had wanted to be the one to explain to Hera that it was _your _fault we didn't get Neil back in time, then next time, we'll just drive back the normal way."

Hermes paled, looking shaken. Clearing his throat, he muttered, "I think I'll just get started on cleaning up my office now."

"You do that." Hermes started to shuffle away, looking guilty. Biting back his own guilt, the Warrior called, "Hey Hermes." When the immortal looked back, Archie gave him a real smile. "Thanks man. You saved Neil's life with that portal."

Hermes grinned, and waving away the hero's thanks, turned and quickly disappeared into his office, to the daunting project of repairing a room that had had a two-and-a-half ton truck crash through it. Shaking his head, Archie turned and raised an eyebrow in surprise.

"Hi Jay." Archie resisted gulping in fear. The look the Leader was giving him was not exactly one to be deemed 'friendly', and Archie didn't want to have a confrontation this quickly after a battle. Or ever, really.

Jay gave the Warrior a cold grin. There was no humor in his eyes. "You did pretty well today Arch."

"I did, huh?" Archie asked, staring at Jay warily. Jay nodded slowly. _Crap. He's going to flay me alive or something. _

"Ah, Archie!" A new voice interrupted their stare-down, and Archie looked up to see Chiron smiling down at him. Placing a large hand on Archie's shoulder, the centaur led him over to a nearby chair, and gestured for him to sit.

Taking a seat, Archie gave the immortal a grateful grin, "Thanks Chiron." Archie spent a surprisingly large amount of time with Chiron. The god had trained Achilles centuries ago in the art of battle, and now Archie was learning many of the same things. Chiron was always patient with Archie, and the different things the Warrior learned from him were always fascinating.

Chiron merely nodded, before he said, "It didn't look like Jay was all that pleased with you Archie. What did you do?" The god's voice lowered as he asked his question, and when he bent over the hero to look over some of his minor wounds, Archie could only shrug.

"I'm kinda taking his job away from him." Archie admitted, ignoring his guiltily churning stomach. "I don't know Chiron, I just..."

Chiron chuckled, carefully applying a poultice to a bruise on Archie's arm. "Did you know that Achilles was once a great leader, as well?" At Archie's surprised expression, the centaur chuckled again. "Yes. Achilles led several armies into battle. He was one of the greatest leaders of his time."

"So what does than mean?" Archie grumbled bitterly, wincing as the poultice numbed his wound, making him cold, "Am _I _supposed to lead the team, or what?"

Chiron only shrugged, the gesture looking a little awkward on the god. "I can't tell you for sure what your destiny is Archie. You know that."

Groaning, Archie slumped in his seat, wincing as his wounds snarled in pain. "Ugh. Must you gods make everything so mysterious? Can't you just give me a straight answer for once?"

Chiron straightened, a smirk similar to Archie's adorning his face. "Now what fun would that be? And you should be fine in a day or so. Make sure you get a lot of sleep tonight."

At the mention of sleep, Archie yawned hugely. "Trust me Chiron. I'll sleep."

"Good lad." With a final smile to the Warrior, the centaur trotted away, his hooves clip-clopping against the marble floor.

Archie wanted desperately to curl up and fall asleep right in the chair, but before he did, a new voice interrupted him. "Archie?" His eyes flew open as he straightened, and he nearly fell out of his seat.

"Jeez Theresa! You trying to give me a heart attack?" The Warrior snapped, trying to glare up at the girl as he clamoured back into his seat.

Theresa blushed, looking away, "Sorry." She refused to meet his eyes, still looking guiltly.

Rolling his eyes, Archie stood up, and slipped an arm around the Fighter's shoulders. "Hey. You did pretty awesome today. If you hadn't giving Neil that healing, we might have lost him."

Theresa's blush deepened, and she glanced up at him, looking almost shy. "Thanks Archie." Pulling away, she said, "I think I'll go rescue Odie. Last I saw him, Hera was still interagating him about what happened."

Giving Theresa a wave as she walked away, he collasped back in his chair before he remembered Atlanta. _Might as well make sure she isn't going to keel over freaking over Neil or something. _Standing up with a groan, Archie stretched his arms over his head, and started over to Atlanta who had dragged a chair over to Neil's bed.

"Hey." He muttered as he reached her, watching the Huntress carefully. "Hows' he doin'?"

Atlanta started at his voice, but when she turned to look at him, there was a massive smile on her face. Jumping out of her chair, she threw her arms around the startled Warrior's waist. "Have I mentioned lately how awesome you are?"

Blinking in confusion, Archie slowly hugged Atlanta back. "Not recently. Why?"

Squeezing him gently, the girl muttered into his chest, "Neil is going to be O.K.. Chiron said he'll need a lot of rest, but he should be fine within a few days." She pulled away to grin up at him. "Thank you Archie. You were so awesome today."

Archie chuckled, and carefully pulled away from Atlanta. Giving her a smug wink, he said, "Don't you mean I'm awesome everyday?"

Atlanta laughed, and plopped back down into her chair. "Sure Archie. Whatever you say."

Grinning, Archie moved closer to Neil's bed, getting his first real look at the Charm since Cronus had hit him. Neil was pale, but the bandages covered most of his wounds. Fighting back a surge of anger as he recalled the event, he commented down to the motionless youth. "Never figured you would risk yourself like that for me. Thanks man." Staring down at the heavily bandaged hero, Archie let a smile flicker across his features, "Guess I'll have to start treating you a little better now, huh Neil? How's this? I promise I won't 'lose' your mirror anymore."

Beside him, Atlanta laughed. "Very nice Archie. You're sacrificing so much for him." Archie pretended not to notice as the Huntress laced her fingers with Neil's.

Sighing mournfully, Archie said, "Never again will we be greeted in the morning with 'Archie where did you hide my mirror!?'. Oh well." He let his hand rest on Atlanta's shoulder for a moment. "Are you gonna be stay here tonight?"

Looking affronted, the Huntress snapped, "Of course I am! I want to be here when Neil wakes up."

The Warrior couldn't resist teasing, "What are you going to say to him?" Laughing, he dodged her swing, before ducking out of range. Atlanta growled at him threateningly, but did not leave Neil's side.

Still laughing, Archie backed away from the Huntress who was still glaring at him dangerously. Suddenly, the Warrior bumped into something very solid. Whirling around, Archie immediately stopped laughing, staring up at Herry, who was frowning down at him. "Herry! Buddy! How's it goin'?"

The Brawn crossed his arms, still frowning down at Archie. In a low voice, he said, "Archie. As happy as I am that Neil is going to be O.K., I have a question for you."

Gulping, Archie asked weakly, "O.K.? What is it?"

Herry closed his eyes, and Archie braced himself. "Archie. How are you going to _**GET MY TRUCK OUT OF THE FOUNTIAN!?**_"

/

A.N.: There we are. Chapter Nine of Time Stops. A more serious chapter with a little blood, angst and Cronus, just like I promised. I'm rather pleased with this chapter, so please be nice. How's that for a _really _crappy Monday, huh?

I'm not exactly sure why I've basically made Neil and Atlanta a couple. To many late night sessions with slurpees and pixie dust maybe. Well, If you liked it, hated it, thought it was to evil, why not say so? Review and blast me for blasting Neil.

EDIT: Looking over my chapter, I was horrified to see mistakes! Horrified! So I came back and fixed some of them. I have no Beta, so mistakes can happen. Hope you people appreciate the work I do for you. Oh, and I changed the story description, as you may have noticed. Why? Because I can.

Review!


	10. Medallions and Bathrooms

A.N.: I'm back! Cue the cheering! ... no? Fine. Once again I have returned with a new chapter of Time Stops. I looked, but didn't find anything that looked like the necklace I described in this chapter. Bah.

This chapter's shout-out goes to Demenior, an excellent writer who kicks my ass with her stories. Thanks for the reviews and never stop with your own writing.

Disclaimer: I own, well, nothing.

Time Stops

/

Archie collapsed into an armchair with a groan, letting his overworked muscles relax for the first time since what felt like forever. It had taken three hours, four immortals, and a powerful levitation spell from Persephone, but Archie had finally managed to get Herry's truck out of the fountain in the school ground, and onto the parking lot.

Herry had graciously let everyone grab their backpacks full of homework, then had driven the five of them home, leaving Neil and Atlanta at the school. As soon as the Brawn had parked his truck in the garage, he had ordered everyone out so he could check the condition of his baby. Archie made a mental note to avoid the larger youth for the next few days.

He grimaced as he sunk lower in his chair. If Archie had damaged Herry's truck, he could expect he would pay for it in spades. Rubbing his hand over his face with his right hand, he reached for his backpack with his left. Rummaging blindly, the Warrior grumbled as he tried to find... there! Sitting up in his chair, Archie let a grin flicker across his face.

Archie didn't even plan to bother with his homework. But the package now resting in his lap was definitely a priority. Turning it over, the youth examined the single word scribbled on the front of the brown paper. _Archie. _The lettering was curvy. _Just like the writer is._ Smirking, Archie tore open the package. Reaching inside, the first thing he found was an envelope. Frowning, he pulled it out and stared down at it.

A plain white envelope, with the same curvy word on the front. _Archie. _Raising an eyebrow, Archie open the envelope and pulled out the single sheet of paper inside.

_Archie._

_I was rather surprised when you contacted me. Since what happened, we haven't really had anything to do with each other. I don't mind lending you this, because I trust you to take care of it, but I do want it back at some point. If this has something to do with Cronus, then I hope it helps. Take care of yourself. _

_Medelia_

Archie's relieved grin grew, and he carefully folded up the letter. _Good. Now all we have to do is figure out were Equinox is hiding. _Dropping the letter back into it's envelope, Archie reached into the package and pulled out a medallion.

Chained to a thick black cord, hung a small black dragon. It was curled around itself, front claws gripping the long tail. The head centered in the circle held pair of little red stones for eyes, which glimmered in the lights of the room. The dragon's wings glowed silver. Archie lifted the necklace up to his face, eying it carefully. It was this very necklace that had once been used by Cronus to let Medea possess Medelia. Of course, Hera had removed the curse on the necklace after they had beaten Medelia's amazon army, but that didn't mean Archie wasn't going to put it on without looking it over first.

Finally, with a glance around the room to confirm he was still alone, Archie lifted the cord and slipped it over his head. Clenching his eyes shut as he held his breath, he waited.

Nothing.

Cracking an eye open, he looked down to his hands. Nope. Nothing unusual there. Sighing in relief as he rolled his eyes to himself, Archie slipped the necklace down his sweater. _I don't even know why I was so nervous. _Quickly getting to his feet, the Warrior decided to was time to eat. He would worry about saving the world, about talking to Theresa, and about dealing with Jay, about everything and anything, after food.

I face Monsters everyday, but I'm scared to look you in the eye...

Archie was just finishing with his plate when Herry walked into the room. The Brawn went straight for the fridge, sparing him only a quick glance. As tempted as he was to leave the room, Archie hung around, watching Herry dig around in the fridge.

Finally, the Warrior cleared his throat. "How's the truck Herry?"

"Eh?" Herry's head came up, a piece of chicken half hanging out of his mouth. The Brawn grinned around his food. Pulling the food out of his mouth, he said, "There were a few scratches on the undercarriage, but that's about it. No permanent damage."

Sighing with relief, Archie grinned. Just as he was about to escape the kitchen, maybe track down Theresa, Herry's voice stopped him. "Archie."

Glancing back, the Warrior asked, "Yea man?"

"Nice job today. Not only did you save Neil, you took down Agnon." Herry's grin was sincere, and the surge of gratefulness in Archie's belly was welcoming. _Good to know someone around here thinks I did well today. _

Shrugging like it was no big deal, Archie said, "Just... doin' what I can."

"Well keep doing it, ya hear?" Herry sat down at the table, his usual mountain of food in front of him. Sending the Brawn a nod and a promise that he would, Archie escaped the kitchen.

Making a face at the T.V. Room, where at least an hours worth of homework awaited, Archie jogged up the stairs, intending to go to the roof. He was halfway down the hall, nervously eying Jay's open door, when there was a _crash_ from inside the room.

Alarmed, the Warrior hurried down the hall, reaching the door in time to here "Jay, calm down! It's not that horrible!" Confused, Archie stepped up to the doorway.

There stood Theresa, her back to him, her hands clenched at her sides. Jay stood in front of her, nearly looming over her. He snarled in her face "Not **that** horrible?! Theresa, I _froze_ back there. Neil was hurt and I just _stood_ there! _**Archie**_ had to take over." The Leader spat Archie's name as though it was something that angered him.

Clenching his own fists, Archie prepared to interrupted the conversation, ready to finally call Jay's bull. But Theresa spoke first, her voice heavy with disgust. "What so awful about that? Archie did fantastic today, you know it!"

Archie felt his jaw drop open. _Wow. Theresa's defending me? _Jay's eyes narrowed dangerously, and he snapped at the Fighter, "So now you're on his side? You two don't even get along!"

Theresa laughed in Jay's face. "Ha! Shows what _you _know! Archie has been looking out for me, not that you noticed." Theresa stepped back from the Leader, shoulders slumping as she looked away. "Archie is a good man Jay. What do you have against him?"

Jay looked shaken at the sudden change of mood from the woman before him. Shoving his hands into his pockets, the youth muttered, "I _know _Archie is a good man. He's an even better man than _I _am. I just..."

Somehow, both teens lifted their eyes at the same time, and as Archie watched, Jay gave Theresa a gentle, but bitter smile. "... I feel like I'm losing my friends, like I'm losing _you _when Archie takes charge and becomes leader."

Jealousy reined supreme in Archie's stomach as he watched Theresa move closer to the Leader. Before he could see anything more, the Warrior turned and walked away, back down the stairs. He calmly walked down the hall to his room, and when he entered it, he clicked the door shut. It was only then that he broke a little, his shoulders slumping as his eyes clenched shut. _**Damn it all.**_

Taking a long shuddering breath, the Warrior brought himself back under control, squaring his shoulders and reopening his eyes. Surrounded by a familiar setting help calm his nerves, and logic started working in his brain again. _It doesn't matter what I saw. I just need to focus on Cronus, and the mission, and I'll be fine. _A frown flit across his face. He muttered, "D-did I just...?"

Groaning, he ran his hands through his thick hair. _I just sounded like _**Jay**_! GAH! _Storming over to his bed, he gave it a vicious kick, for a brief moment forgetting his brace. _Oh. Bad idea. _Pain immediately flared in his toes, and Archie hissed in pain, hopping up and down on one foot. Still hopping, he tried making a break for his door. "I. Am. OW! Not. Turn – Gah! Turning. Into. JAY!"

When he finally reached his door, he wrenched it open with a snarl of anger. Then he blinked in shock. "Theresa?"

It _was_ Theresa standing just outside his door, giving him a very amusing look. But his toes hurt too much for him to enjoy her expression, so he settled for limping past her as she stared at him. "Um, Archie? What did you do to your foot?"

Rolling his eyes as he continued to limp towards the bathroom, he called over his shoulder, "I stubbed my toe." _Wait. What is she doing down here? _Pausing, as he contemplated the question, he half turned back to her, raising an eyebrow. "Weren't you talking to Jay?"

The Fighter blinked. "Um, yea. How did you know that?" Shaking her head, she continued, "Whatever. And Jay and I got into an argument, so I left."

She came up beside him, looking down at his toes, wrinkling her nose in a way that, for some odd reason, made Archie want to smile. _What did I miss? When I left they looked like their argument was over. _He blinked when she poked him in the chest, "What?"

She raised an eyebrow. "Why are you smiling? What's so amusing?"

_That's a good question. Why _am _I smiling? _Clearing his throat, trying to ignore the blood trying to flow into his face, he limped past her, ducking in the bathroom. Still she followed him. She remained in the doorway as he knelt by the sink and pulled out the first aid kit. Sitting on the edge of the bathtub, he opened the metal box, and began digging through it.

Theresa was still in the doorway.

He found a few pieces of gauze and set them on the sink, trying not to glance at the girl. Pulling out a pair of scissors, he started mentally listing off his teammates. _Atlanta is with Neil, back at the school. _Ignoring his shaking hands, he placed the scissors in the sink, not noticing as he knocked the gauze to the ground. _Herry is eating in the kitchen and Jay is in his room. _He clicked the kit shut, and put it aside, trying not to register how fast his breathing was coming. _Theresa is **right there! **_

There was a sudden _click. _Archie's eyes snapped up. The door was now closed, and Theresa was standing not two feet away, still watching him with big green eyes. He gulped back (fear nervousness excitement alarm want anger need) and lifted his head to meet her eyes. His voice was low as he asked, "Terri. What are you doing?"

Her faced flushed in a way that made Archie's mouth go dry. She stammered, "I-I j-just want to help with your foot."

Studying her features, he nodded slowly. "Ok." A little smile appeared on her face, and she knelt down to pick up the gauze, giving him a brief glimpse of soft pink flesh. _That's a sight I would love to see more of. _Eyes widening, he leaned back, scowling to himself.

Theresa looked up in time to see his expression. Her face closed off and she looked away, stuttering, "I-If I'm b-bothering you Archie -"

"No, no. It's just me. Feeling weird." He cut her off, and when she lifted her face to look at him again, he gave her a gentle smile. The tentative smile she returned made his heart jump in his chest, but before he could explore the sensation, she was sitting down beside him, their knees brushing together.

"Ar-Archie?" She was very close.

"Yea?" For some reason, his voice was gruff, and he cleared his throat, trying again, "Yea?"

A small, warm hand slipped into his, and their fingers laced in a strangely comforting gesture. But his eyes widened at the gesture anyway, glancing from their linked hands to her too-close face. His heart was starting to hammer in his chest. "Thank you."

"Huh?"

She giggled at his confused expression, leaning against him slightly. "You saved my life today. I've never seen you move that fast before." She shrugged her shoulders a little. "So... thanks for saving my life."

Rolling back his shoulders as he puffed out his chest, Archie grinned his most arrogant grin. "Come on, Theresa. You didn't think I was gonna let Agnon flatten you, did you?"

She giggled. "I certainly hope not!"

Waving a dismissive hand Archie chuckled. "Nah. If Agnon had squashed you, the team would have probably made me clean up the mess."

Her jaw dropped open as her eyes widened. Smacking his shoulder, the Fighter yelped, "Ar-chie! You're horrible."

Laughing so hard he had to grip the bathtub with his free hand to keep from falling over, Archie ducked away from Theresa's hand. "I was kidding! I was kidding!" Giving her hand a gentle squeeze, he said, "And Theresa? You're welcome."

Theresa smiled at him again, sending his heart galloping around his chest once again. Then, pulling her hand out of his, she slip down the edge of the tub until she was about half a foot away. "All right, Mr. Hero, put your foot up here." At Archie's blank expression, she rolled her eyes. "Come on Arch. Lets see your toes."

Blushing, the Warrior half-turned, lifting his leg to rest his foot gingerly on the edge of the porcelain tub, his brace gleaming by the light of the room. Theresa winced at his toes. "Damn Archie! What did you hit your foot with? You cracked a toenail!"

"I did?" He leaned forward awkwardly, nearly loosing his balance. Grimacing at the sight of his black and blue digits, he leaned back. Theresa started fumbling with the bandages, and Archie quietly watched her as she worked, a hint of a smile on his face.

"You know what's kind of weird?" She asked, nibbling her lip as she bent closer to his foot.

Raising an eyebrow, he asked, "What's that?"

She shrugged her shoulders, she said, "It just seems... strange. That Agnon won't be around anymore." She remained bent over his foot, slowly wrapping cloth around with toes. "I mean – I know Agnon was a bad guy, and evil, but it'll be weird not seeing him with Cronus anymore."

Archie cleared his throat. "Y-yea. Weird." Theresa finished with his foot and he set it back on the ground, bending to examine her handiwork. Chuckling, the youth sat up. "Glad I'm related to Achilles. This'll be healed in a day or so."

Theresa was staring at him, an unreadable expression on her face. Gulping, he asked, "What?"

"Archie, do you feel... bad about Agnon? About what you did?" The Warrior averted his eyes. The last thing he needed was for Theresa to think he was weak. But his silence seemed enough of an answer for her. "Archie. You must know that Agnon would have killed me without hesitation if you hadn't stepped in."

Shying away from the thought of Theresa being hurt, he said, "I know. But just because I am a Warrior doesn't mean I get used to killing."

"Oh, Archie." A hand was gently resting on his arm, and his nose was invaded with the scent of apples and honey as she leaned her head on his shoulder for a brief moment. "Archie, it's _because_ death and killing is still hard for you that makes you a true Warrior."

"What?" He asked, his voice gruff. She lifted her eyes to meet his. Green eyes locked with dark brown orbs, and Archie's breath was caught in his throat.

"You _are_ a Warrior, you know that Archie. But you haven't given up being human either. You still feel, and still have compassion and kindness. That makes you _better_ than a Warrior." She sighed, finally breaking their gaze to look away. "Archie, you could be a Leader, if you tried."

Stunned with her announcement, Archie jumped to his feet. "We _have _a Leader Theresa! What are you trying to say?"

"I _know _we have a leader Archie. Jay is our Leader, and since this whole mess started, Jay has lead us." She clenched both her fists, staring hard at the floor. "But ... you've seen him Archie. He's destroying himself. Every time he makes a mistake, or someone gets hurt, or Cronus gets the upper hand, Jay goes over it again and again in his head." Archie nodded slowly, watching the Fighter carefully. She continued, her eyes still locked on the floor. "Jay has been our Leader, and I think we still need him, in a way. But the team needs you as well."

"Theresa, the way you talk, you sound as though the team has already made a decision." Archie said carefully, turning to look in the bathroom's mirror. _Me, team Leader? The one they'll turn to for making decisions, the one who'll step forward first, the one who, in the end, may end up making a choice that could destroy their enemy, or his team, once and for all. Could I handle that?_ He studied himself in the mirror, staring hard at his reflection.

He wasn't all that impressive. Dark brown eyes, a bent nose, bright purple hair. Not exactly a description of a typical 'Leader of a band of Heroes'. Theresa gave a weak chuckle beside him. "We haven't made a decision like that."

Archie glanced at her, and carefully asked, "If you guys haven't, then what -"

"Not as a group we haven't." Theresa cut him off, shooting him a glance. Then, squaring her shoulders, she looked him in the eyes, determination blazing in her eyes. "But _all _of them have said at least once that you are a good leader."

"Hey, Archie? You in there?" Odie's voice made them both jump. They shared terrified looks as Odie started to knock on the door. "I need to ask you something!"

Theresa darted forward, her face flushing deep red as she brushed around Archie. Gripping the door handle, she glanced back at the Warrior, mouthing, 'talk later', before she pulled open the door. "Odie! Archie went for a run a little while..." Her voice faded as she lead the Brain away from the bathroom.

Archie stared at the closed door for a moment, a blank expression on his face. He glanced at the mirror again, staring into the eyes of his reflection. _They want _me _to be leader? _

He escaped the bathroom a few minutes later, and retreated into his room. When his head hit his pillow two minutes later, he immediately fell asleep. His last fuzzy thoughts were of green eyes watching him.

/

A.N. Apologies for the short chapter. I wanted to end Monday quickly, but I needed to finish off a few thing before I did so. Next chapter will be up soon.

Now, if this chapter made you hungry, sad, excited, or angry, why not say so in a REVIEW?! Do it, it's good for your immune system.

Do it...


	11. Dogdeball and Changes

A.N. Chapter Eleven is in my hands! Bwhaha I shall hold it hostage until I get more reviews! ...Hey! Where are you going? Fine, here you go. Fluff, plans, and Neil being his incredible self! W00-H00! Sorry 'bout the long wait. It seems my muse has gone and lost herself in traffic, so updates may start slowing down. That, and graduation is coming up, so things are getting busy 'round here...

Disclaimer: I own a t-shirt that people says describes me perfectly (Easily Distract...), but Cott? Nope!

Time Stops

/

Archie didn't even try to hide his grin as he leaned against the door jamb. He watched them for a moment, holding back his comments.

"Neil! Slow down! You're going to hurt yourself if you keep overworking yourself!" Atlanta barked at Neil, who was on his feet, a triumphant expression on his handsome face.

The heavily bandaged Charm smirked, blue eyes alight with a mischievous glitter. "I'm not over-doing anything. I just wanted to be on my feet again." He shot a quick glance at Atlanta, affection apparent in his tone, "'sides, I know you're watching out for me, so I don't have to worry."

Atlanta's blushing cheeks made Archie's grin widen, as the Huntress visibly restrained herself from jabbing Neil in the chest. Instead, she shook her finger under his nose, glaring up at him, "I am watching out for you, but don't expect me to catch you if you decide to suddenly keel over."

Neil tried to shrug, winced in pain, and settled for making a face at Atlanta, "I'm not going to keel over, Atlanta." He made a heroic looking pose, planting his hands on his hips. "I shall bravely carry on, despite my pain, and help bring the downfall of Cronus."

Snorting with laughter, Archie chose that moment to saunter into the room, making both his friends jump. Neil swayed unsteadily for a moment, but Atlanta grabbed his hand, steadying him. Archie chuckled again, nodding at Neil in greeting, "Good morning you two. Glad to see you're standing again, Neil."

Atlanta gave a proud grin, still clutching the blond's hand. "Chiron said it was luck that Neil survived, but I say it's just Neil."

Neil's face flushed as he smiled, and Archie shook his head. _They're almost cute together. And the weird thing? I don't think I even mind. _Neil nudged the Huntress's shoulder with his own, "Luck and my awesomeness are the best combo in the world, and you know it 'Lannie."

Atlanta rolled her eyes and pulled away from the Charm, "Ok Mr. Awesome. Don't let it get to your head."

Archie smirked, "Too late for that I think."

Neil glanced at the Warrior, perfectly manicured eyebrows raising as he examined him, "Why are you here so early, Archie? It's not even eight o'clock yet."

He shrugged a shoulder, his smile slipping a little from his face, "I didn't sleep that well last night, and I woke up early. Decided I'd come to school early and check on you two."

"Aww I didn't know you cared Arch!" Atlanta cooed obnoxiously. Archie snorted, rolling his eyes. She gave him a cheeky grin before turning and walking for the doors. "I'm gonna go see if I can find Chiron. I want him to check Mr. Awesome's bandages."

Neil waved as the girl left the room, then turned to look at Archie, a nervous expression appearing on his face. Archie's eyebrows rose as he eyed the youth. _What's with the face? I'm not gonna mulch him or something. _The blond cleared his throat, nervously scratching his arm with his hand. "Ar-Archie?"

"Yea? What's up?" He asked, tilting his head to examine the Charm.

"I-I j-just wanted t-to s-say..." Neil trailed off, looking frazzled and ashamed. Archie blinked slowly, eying the blond in confusion. _Now what on earth is wrong with him? _Neil cleared his throat, trying again, "I-I wanted t-to ask if, you kn-know, you w-would m-m-mind if I-I -"

"Neil!" Archie cut him off. Watching the Charm flounder was almost entertaining, but it also got painful after a point. Rubbing the bridge of his nose, he tried to figure out what could possibly make the Charm so nervous. Then, as his eyes locked with Neil's, a light clicked on in his mind. Grinning, he asked, "You're trying to ask about Atlanta, aren't you?"

Neil spasmed jerkily and Archie's grin widened as the blond stammered, "N-no! W-well, yes. I-I mean! I! Then she. And you. And ohm..." Covering his eyes, Neil heroically turned his back on the Warrior, visibly shaking in terror.

Archie rolled his eyes.

"Dude. Relax. I'm not going to feed you to the griffins or something." Neil immediately obeyed, turning back to Archie, a glimmer of hope dawning in his eyes. The youth grinned, and said, "I'm not going to hate you or something for caring about Atlanta. She's my friend, and so are you. So, I know you'll be able to take care of each other."

A hint of a smile appeared on Neil's face, "Y-you mean, you don't mind? That I want to ask Atlanta out, I mean?"

Rolling his shoulders in a shrug, Archie drawled, "She's my best friend Neil. I do care. I want her to be protected and happy and looked after, and I know I can trust you to do that."

Neil's blue eyes widened, and he stared at the Warrior with an awed expression. "Y-You just said you t-trust me. Right?"

Archie smiled. "After what happened yesterday, how could I not trust you? Neil, you saved my life, don't you realize that?"

Neil's bruised face flushed, as he glanced away humbly, scratching his arm. "No I didn't. I just got lucky, that's all."

"Are you kidding?" Archie snapped, crossing his arms. "I saw those scratches Neil. No way would I have survived a direct hit like that. You saved my life... and Thank You."

Neil's face turned towards Archie's. Once again his wide blue eyes locked with Archie's dark brown ones. His voice was quiet as he mumbled, "You're welcome. And come on Arch. We need you around. I'm not about to let Cronus blast you into the next century."

"W-what?" Now it was Archie who was stammering. _We? What 'we'? _Shaking his head, he asked, "Who needs me around? What are you talking about?"

"Archie, are you serious?" Neil laughed, before wincing and putting a hand to his bandages. Clearing his throat, he continued, "Archie, the team, _everyone_, needs you. Jay just... can't lead us properly anymore, and you've been stepping up to the plate and preforming greatly. I don't want to sound cold about Jay, but, he's digging himself into a hole, and he refuses to let any of us help him." Neil laughed again, a low, humorless chuckle. Lifting his hand from his wound, he blinked at his fingers.

The pads of his fingers were stained with blood.

"Look at me. I've got _real_ blood on my hands, and I can't even bring myself to be worried about it." Archie was already at the blond's side, putting an arm around his shoulders and pushing him towards his bed. Neil let himself be bullied into bed, continuing, "I don't have to be too worried about it, 'cause I know you're here to look out for me."

Once Neil was safely back in his bed, Archie took a step back, eying the Charm carefully, "I am here to look after you man, but try not to overdo things. Atlanta would pull me to pieces if she found out I let you hurt yourself." Trying to look stern, he told his friend, "Rest. Sleep a little. And..."

Neil winced, staring up at Archie in alarm. Finally, with a sigh, Archie grinned. "If you want to ask Atlanta out, I'd suggest asking sooner rather than later. Like, as soon as possible. Got it?"

Neil nodded as eagerly as he could, a big grin appearing on his face. "Yes sir! I-I mean, thank you! I-I mean -"

Laughing, Archie shook his head. "I get it. You take good care of her, all right?"

Neil nodded again, his expression eager. Archie smiled back at the blond before turning his head. The unmistakable sound of hooves clip-clopping down a marble hallway could be heard. Stepping back from the table, Archie gave Neil a final grin, "That's Chiron. I'll see you later, all right man?"

The pain of my past no longer overshadows the light of my future...

_**Thu-wump! **_

Archie's eyes narrowed dangerously as he watched Odie take yet another ball to the stomach. He and Odie shared gym class together, and for some reason, the small boy seemed to be everyone's favorite target today. The day's game? Dodge-ball. And Odie couldn't dodge all that well.

Lips curling in anger, the Warrior snatched up a stray ball, and _heaved _it at the sucker who had just hit Odie. Grinning in satisfaction as the ball knocked the guy over, Archie ducked a projectile thrown at his head, jumped over a groaning classmate, and caught another ball aimed for him with one hand.

_**Tweet!! **_A shrill whistle shrieked across the gym, and everyone looked up. _"All right!" _Ares' deep voice echoed across the gym. _"That's it for today! Hit the showers, boys!" _

Reaching out a hand, Archie grinned down at Odie, who was still flat on the ground, "You seriously need to learn how to catch."

Scowling, the smaller boy grabbed Archie's proffered hand and let himself be pulled up. "Hey man. I've never been able to catch. And when I've got balls flying at me at high speeds, I'd rather duck than try to catch 'em."

"You realize you've been hit more times when you duck, then when you actually try and catch the ball. Right?" Archie quirked an eyebrow, not hiding a smirk. Odie scowled.

"Shut up." The Brain grumbled, crossing his arms. Then, his own smirk growing on his face, Odie said, "Least I can keep my head when I'm hanging out with Theresa!"

Archie's face flushed with embarrassment, and he shoved Odie away from him, sending him stumbling away. He snapped, "I have no idea what you're talking about! I can keep my head!"

Odie laughed, "Is _that_ what it's called when you stumble over your words, blush at everything, _and_ go out of your way to look out for her? I don't see you doing that to too many other people." Ignoring Archie's infuriated sputtering, he started ticking off points with his fingers, "You saved her life from Agnon, you seek her out at the dorm, whenever she walks into the room you immediately look up, you haven't called her a drama queen for days -"

"Yes I have! I called her a drama queen just last night!" Archie finally managed to say, but Odie merely rolled his eyes.

"Yea, Ok. And the fact that you're blushing like mad right now has nothin' to do with nothin', right?" Odie asked innocently, before his grin returned. Archie turned his face away, sputtering helplessly as he tried to regain his composure. Chuckling, Odie shook his head saying, "You have no idea how amusing this is."

"Gee. Using my suffering for your own amusement. Such a nice guy you are." Archie muttered, sarcasm dripping from his voice.

"I know!" Came the cheeky response. Growling in frustration, the Warrior started towards Odie, arms outstretched threateningly. Ducking away, Odie called, "Hey, easy Archie! I was just kidding around!"

Eyes flashing dangerously, Archie growled, "Too bad. I think I'll murder you anyways." With a yelp of fear, the Brain turned and darted away, Archie hot on his heels.

Sneakers slapping against the gym floor, Archie chased after the smaller hero, who was comically running away with his arms above his head, yelling intelligibly as he ran for a nearby set of doors. Conveniently open, the double doors were also blocked with classmates, though not for long. As one, the crowd ahead of them looked up, and seeing the two youths bearing down on them, promptly scattered.

Exploding through the crowd with a desperate expression on his face, Odie's eyes darted darted helplessly up and down the busy halls. Seeing a possible savior, the youth darted in that direction, just as Archie pushed his way through the crowd, eyes still intent on his target.

Just as he was about to grab the back of Odie's sweatshirt, there was suddenly a body in front of him, and Archie's hand closed over a fistful of the wrong familiar shirt. Still gripping the shirt, the Warrior straightened his back to snarl in the face of the person, "_What_?" But one look at the frowning teammate quickly changed his tune, "Oh! It's you! Uh... How ya doin'?"

Still frowning, Jay lifted his eyebrows slightly, looking down his nose at Archie, "Let go of my shirt, maybe?"

Quickly releasing his Leader, Archie took a step back, a sheepish grin starting to form on his lips. "Sorry 'bout that man. I was just, uh... _looking _for Odie."

Peeking out from behind Jay, Odie whined, "He was going to murder me!"

Without missing a beat, Archie glared down at the Brain, snapping, "Was? Still am!"

He started forward again with a growl, and Odie disappeared, running down the hall like his life was in danger. Chuckling, Archie halted his movements, and crossing his arms, shook his head at the retreating hero's back. _Odie can move pretty fast when his life is in peril. _Someone cleared their throat.

Wincing slightly, Archie looked up at Jay, who was now sneering down at the Warrior, his dark eyes narrowed. Archie's defenses pulled up, and his own glare appeared as he stared back at the Leader.

Quickly tiring of the stare down, the Warrior snapped, "What?! Can't I walk down the hall anymore without getting death glares from you? What's with you nowadays, anyway?"

Jay's eyes widened for a moment as Archie's outburst, before he began glaring again, saying in a low voice, "Why are you trying to take _everything _away from me?"

Archie blinked, looking up at the Leader with confusion. Carefully straightening, he asked, "What are you talking about? I'm not taking anything away from you. I haven't even touched your stuff!"

Jay's glower deepened, his eyes burning with anger. Taking a step closer, getting in Archie's face, he growled, "You know that's not what I went."

Realization struck him, and Archie scowled in Jay's face. Almost snarling in anger, he questioned, "Oh, is _that_ what this is about? What? You scared I'm gonna take away your precious 'leadership'? Get _real_ Jay!"

"I'm not scared!" Jay cried, sounding almost childish. He continued, "I am the Leader! You know that!"

"Then act like it!" Archie snarled, before glancing around the hallway, where a few pairs of questioning eyes were now carefully watching the scene unfold before them. Turning back to Jay, he spoke lowly, trying not to give way to his temper, "I don't know what's going on with you anymore, but if you want to lead the team, act like it! Be there for them, look out for them and make sure they're taking care of themselves. Do you even know that Neil is already awake?" At Jay's shocked expression, Archie smirked coldly. "I didn't think so."

Still looking shocked, Jay stammered, "I-I had no idea he was awake! Wh-when did that happen?"

Rolling his eyes, Archie said, "This morning. He was up and moving around a little, and Atlanta was keeping an eye on him." Archie's expression shifted to a more serious one. "Man, did you even _think_ to check on those two at some point today? Whatever else is on your mind, you could at least make sure Neil is still _alive_." His anger bubbled dangerously close to the surface, and he hissed lowly, "If you want so damn much to be 'Leader', then take some responsibility Jay. Alone, we're not strong enough to take on this by ourselves, and we need a leader who can hold us up."

"I'm trying to do that!" Jay almost cried out, his expression pleading. Continuing in a lower voice, now mindful of the curious classmates still watching them, he said, "Do you even know how hard it gets, when it feels like there's the weight of the world on your shoulders? Sometimes, I wake up in the mornings feeling like I can't even breathe! What if I do something wrong? What if it's my fault someone gets hurt? What am I supposed to do then? Do you even know how to handle that?"

The warning bell rang, and most people started for their next classes. Archie didn't move, eying his Leader with both distaste and anger. "You sure have a lot of questions, Oh Great Leader. And, ya', I would know how to handle things if I made a mistake." Backing away a step, the Warrior lifted his sweater's sleeve, bringing to light familiar scars. Staring down at his arm, the youth said, "You pick yourself up off the ground, and keep going. Learn from your mistakes, don't crumble underneath their weight. Yes, you have a huge responsibility, and the entire world depending on you. But you have your friends, and the people who care about you, who are ready and willing to help you shoulder your burden. You do have to be strong, Jay, but you can rely on the strength of others to help you."

By now, they were the only two left standing in the school hallway. Jay seemed fixed in place, staring at Archie with an almost awed expression. The Warrior glanced away from his scarred arm, gathering his thoughts, a half wistful smile flickering across his face as he tugged down his sleeve. "Everyone makes their mistakes, you know? I used to think it was a mistake joining you guys, and sticking around for this insane life. But now? I'm glad I'm here."

He paused, his strange smile still on his face. Jay stayed silent, and finally Archie continued, "I've gotten to know an entire group of people I would never have met if Cronus had never tried to take over the world. These people are my friends, and I care about them. Jay, you know as well as I do that they rely on the both of us." Carefully glancing over to meet the Leader's eyes, he said, "I don't want to be leader, and I'm not trying to take it away from you... but if we're ever going to destroy Cronus once and for all, maybe we need to start acting not just like a team, but like partners."

Both of Jay's hands were shaking. Looking away from the Warrior, he spoke quietly, "You – you really don't want to be Leader?"

Archie snorted. "Heck no! Leader of those jokers? They'd drive me crazy before the end of the week!"

Both men laughed, and Archie stuck out his hand. "What do you say? Partners? We work towards Cronus together?"

Briefly, the brown-haired youth hesitated, looking down at Archie with a thoughtful expression. Archie tried not to roll his eyes, still holding out his hand. _It's time we put this rivalry behind us. Come _on_ Jay. _Finally, the Leader grasped the Warrior's hand firmly, and the two shook hands. Relief coursing through his system, Archie grinned. Jay readily returned the grin, and when they released hands, Archie chuckled.

"You know, for the past few days, I was almost worried it was going to become really tough between us." Archie commented, almost offhandedly, a hint of a smirk on his face. "'course, I can take you, but I was just worried 'bout what the girls would say if I beat you up."

Jay's mouth dropped open, an affronted look on his face. Then, snorting in disbelief, the Leader swung an arm around Archie's neck, catching him in a headlock. "Sure Archie. You keep saying that."

Struggling against each other, the two boys started down the hallway, pushing and shoving each other, laughter evident in their voices.

/

A.N.: CURVEBALL!! Heh, and I bet you people thought Archie was gonna punch Jay in the face or something. (wags finger) Come now folks, Archie wouldn't do something like that...

... right? Well, we'll see.

Again, sorry 'bout the long wait, but exams kinda take priority. Next chapter will come sooner, for exams are almost finished! Now, what have I forgotten...? Oh, yea.

Review!


	12. Hover Jets and Disagreements

A.N.: Heh, last chapter, I got a whole mess o' new reviews. That makes me happy. And holy carp! Twelve chapters already, and we're no where near being finished. This fic has a freakin' mind of it's own! Updates may take a long time in coming, but there are reasons for that. I hate my new job, but the money pays for Internet so...

Disclaimer: I own a memory stick with lotsa space on it, but Cott? Nope!

Time Stops

/

Archie was feeling good. The past few days had been mercifully uneventful for the team. Besides spending several hours pouring over dusting books in the back of the school library, and participating in various training activities involving griffins and fire, Archie was able to spend a few days doing 'normal' stuff.

Neil was improving rapidly, his wounds healing very well, to the excitement of the entire team. Atlanta was especially pleased with how Neil was healing, and spent so much of her free time with him Archie suspected that Neil had already make the move to ask her out.

He knew better than to pry, however, and satisfied himself with light teasing whenever he had the opportunity to spend time with his two friends. Like right now, for example.

"Soon as you're back on your feet, Neil, me and you? We're going to throw the **biggest**, _loudest_, _**craziest**_ party this school has ever seen." Archie grinned as he watched Neil's eyes widen, and Atlanta's face begin to flush red. "At this party, there'll be _how_ many girls there, we'll pick up so many phone numbers we'll be able to fill a book!"

Atlanta was now scowling, her eyes narrowed, her arms crossed, and she was eying both the heroes with an alarming expression on her face. Neil shot a glance at her, his face going pale, and clearing his throat nervously, said, "Th-that's Ok Archie. I don't think so."

Grinning viscously, Archie asked, "Whys that Neil? Normally you love picking up new phone numbers." Then, raising his eyebrows as though he had been struck by a sudden thought, he said, "Wait a second. Neil, you don't have a _girlfriend_ or something now, do you?"

Archie's grin widened as both his friends sputtered, their faces flushing an identical red. _This is even more amusing than Odie when the Internet is down back at the dorms. _Rubbing his chin thoughtfully, Archie suggested, "'cause if you have a girlfriend, that means that you'll have to take her out -"

"Archie! There you are!" All three teenagers jumped as a new voice called out. Turning around, Archie felt a grin appear on his face as he saw who was at the door. Theresa was wearing a light green tee-shirt today, with skinny black jeans and her long red hair pulled back into a ponytail. _**Damn, **__she looks good today. _Archie's tongue suddenly felt unusually thick in his throat.

Atlanta giggled, reaching over to tap the Warrior on the nose, "Your mouth is open, you know."

"Hush you." Archie snapped, before standing up to greet Theresa, "Hiya Terri. Were you looking for me?" He nearly slapped his forehead at his question. _Duh Archie. Let's try not to lose our head, shall __we? _

Theresa strode into the infirmary, a warm smile on her face as she looked over her three friends. Neil was sitting on his bed, his shirt half buttoned, allowing his bandages to be seen. Atlanta sat beside him, not to close, but still close enough to brush against the Charm every time either of them moved. Archie stood beside a tall backed chair, his hands stuffed in his hoodies' pockets as he leaned against the ugly chair.

"Yes, in fact I was, and it's a good thing I found you here, so I can let all of you know." She said, moving to stand beside Archie, whose face seemed to be strangely flushed.

"Let all of us know what?" asked Neil, who leaned forward slightly, only to pale and lean back when his wounds protested the movement. Atlanta leaned over worriedly, but relaxed when the Charm gave her a smile.

Smiling at the actions of the two, Theresa tilted her head to look at Archie, who was still a little redder than normal. "Herry and Odie just called from Hephaestus's workshop. He just finished with the Hover Jet, and we'll be able to go to Europe and tart looking for Equinox by tonight!"

"Seriously?!" Archie cried, his dark eyes lighting up with excitement. Pushing away from the chair, he darted over to his backpack, muttering under his breath, "Perfect timing, that means it _should _only take a few hours, should I bring it? And what about the necklace? Am I gonna need that?"

Glancing at each other in confusion, Atlanta and Neil both craned their necks to watch Archie quickly zip open his pack, and start rummaging through it. Digging through his bag, he pulled out a trio of thick books, a half squashed sandwich in a plastic baggie, and a fat tube of Pringles before shouting "Ah-ha!" and pulling out a battered map-book.

Theresa stared at the Warrior as he got to his feet, triumphantly holding his prize high in the air, a massive grin on his face. Finally, the Fighter cleared her throat, before calling, "Uh Archie? Earth to crazy-boy, come in crazy-boy!"

"Huh?" Archie glanced over to Theresa, then to Neil and Atlanta, all of whom were staring at the Warrior with blank expressions. Flushing red, the Warrior cleared his throat, lowered his arms, and strode over to the heroes with a small, sheepish grin on his face. "A-heh. Sorry. But it's a good thing that Hephaestus finished with the Hover Jet upgrades when he did."

"Whys that?" Atlanta asked, leaning forward as she rested her elbows on her knees. Neil glanced over to the Huntress, a little grin on his face, then glanced away suddenly, his ears burning red.

Sending the Charm a weird look, Archie said, "'cause just last night, I think I figured out where Equinox now lives. With the Hover Jet ready, that means we'll be able to get to him that much faster."

"You figured out where Equinox lives? That's awesome Archie! How did you figure that out?" Theresa asked, leaning towards him as the Warrior opened his map-book.

Archie flipped through the pages of the book until he came to a page with the heading **Baden **and ran his finger down the page, until it reached a little dot on the map, titled **Illianid. **Tapping the dot, Archie said, "That's where I think Equinox will be."

"What?" Leaning forward, Atlanta snatched the book out of the Warrior's hand, and inspected the page, as Neil moved closer to look over her shoulder. She hummed quietly, looking down at the paper, "Archie, this is a little Netherlands town, practically in the middle of nowhere. What would Equinox be doing there?"

Grinning smugly, Archie once again leaned against his ugly chair, one arm propped on the back. "One of the library books Jay found mentioned a small town of Azsrutha, which was watched over by Lord Derfilia. There was barely any information on the town, just the name and that the castle, Castle Rotteln, was said to be guarded by unnatural creatures. Jay though this sounded a little weird, and he gave the book to me."

Theresa moved beside Archie and leaned against the other side of the chair, a large smile on her face. Everyone had been relieved to see Archie and Jay getting along once more, but none more so than Theresa. "So that's where the two of you have been keeping yourselves for the past few days. It's a good thing you were working together or you never would have found it."

"No kidding. Once Jay gave me that book, it was easy." Archie stated with a shrug. Continuing, he said, "The book was kind of old, but it only took a few questions of the right people to figure out what the town had been renamed."

"But how can you be so sure that that's where Equinox is?" Asked Neil, who grinned a perfect grin when both the girls turned to stare at him.

Archie merely gave his own mysterious grin, his eyes glinting with excitement. All he said before he turned and walked out the door was "I asked the right question."

You're changing how I view my world, I see everything so differently now...

"Fully-automatic, high-powered, rapid-fire... I don't know a lot about these kinds of weapons, but _Wow Hephaestus, _you've really outdone yourself this time!" Odie exclaimed, darting from one end of the Hover Jet to the other, attempting to take everything in at once.

Standing beside the navigator's seat, Hephaestus chuckled lightly, a wide grin on his face. "I must admit, this has got to be one of my finest works yet." Slowly turning about the cabin, the god started pointing out features, "State of the art tracking system, full energy solar panels, nuclear powered engines, capable of speeds up to I-haven't-even-figured-that-out-yet, and of course, the _weapons_."

While everyone listened to Hephaestus list off each and every destructive bit of machinery on the new and improved Hover Jet, Archie stood on the floor of the workshop, a dangerous frown on his face.

"Ares, you cannot be serious. Making him stay behind would not be a good idea! He is needed for this mission and the team would _not_ agree with leaving him behind!" Archie growled at the taller being, trying to keep his voice low.

Ares sneered, his small eyes narrowing into slits. "The boy can barely _walk. _You used to spend much of your time questioning if he was even a real hero or not! What? Because he saved your life, you've changed your mind?"

"No." Archie hissed, glowering up at the god, who seemed taken back by the teen's response. He continued, his voice still carefully controlled, "Neil was always a hero. He's brave, loyal, honest, and I wouldn't lose him as a friend for the world. Just because someone doesn't _look_ their part, doesn't mean they can't do it."

Ares frowned angrily down at the Warrior, his massive fists shaking as he held back his temper. "Archie, I am going to order you to ask the boy to stay behind on this mission!"

"And I am going to defy that order!" Archie snapped, his own fists clenched at his sides. "We are a team. There are seven of us, _including_ Neil, and I am not leaving him behind on your say so. Even wounded, Neil is invaluable to us, and I'm not risking an endeavor like this without him."

"The boy can't fight, he's hardly got -" Ares started before, with an angry shout, Archie stopped him.

"His name is _Neil. _He's my friend, he's a hero, he's way braver than anyone I know, _and _he's coming with us!" Archie snarled, before turning and stomping away angrily.

Ares was left standing alone on the floor of the workshop, but his anger seemed to fade and his expression turned thoughtful as he watched the Warrior stomp up the ramp of the Hover Jet. "Hur-mm. I've never seen such powerful loyalty before. Perhaps... perhaps I was wrong..." The god muttered, rubbing his chin with his hand as he watched the Warrior disappear into the Hover Jet.

"- but all I want to do is sit in the chair! Come on, just this one time!" Neil's whiny voice rang through the airship, followed immediately by groans and several "no"s from his teammates. The Charm was standing beside the pilot's seat, balancing steadily on a pair of crutches, staring at the controls before him longingly.

Coming up beside the Charm, Archie had an amused grin on his face as he asked, "What in the world is going on up here? From the screams of terror, it sounds like you guys saw Cronus in the shower or something."

"Not quite." Atlanta responded, frowning, before screwing up her face. "And ew, Archie. That's a mental image I could have done without." She winced again, shuddering, before walking away towards the open area behind the navigator's seat.

Archie grinned, but winced as Odie suddenly appeared at his side, clamping down on his arm with an iron-like grip, "Archie! _Please _tell Mr. Insane over there that he cannot fly the Hover Jet! The only one who should be flying this baby is **me**!"

"The only one?" Lifting an eyebrow, the Warrior smirked teasingly. "Come on now Odie, you don't think you're gonna be the only one who can fly this thing?"

The Brain stammered, his dark skin becoming darker as he blushed, "Wh-what?! No! Th-that's not what I meant!"

Chuckling, Archie clapped Odie on the back, nearly sending him crashing to the ground. "Relax Odie. I know you didn't mean it. And I really think you'd probably be the best man for the job of flying us to Illianid."

"Aww, Archie, I wanna try it!" Whined Neil, who wobbled unsteadily and nearly crashed to the ground had Atlanta not grabbed his arm and steadied him.

Rolling his eyes as he turned his attention to the Charm, Archie struggled to keep a sudden grin from appearing on his face. _He's becoming so stubborn. I think Atlanta is beginning to rub off on him. _Clearing his throat slightly, the Warrior said, "I know that, but think about it Neil." Now he grinned, his eyes flicking from Neil to Atlanta. "If you sat in the pilot's seat, you wouldn't be able to sit beside Atlanta."

The reaction was immediate, and hilarious. Both teens blushed beet red, Atlanta yanked herself away from Neil, who nearly tumbled to the ground at the loss of his support, and everyone else on the team burst out laughing.

Still blushing wildly, Atlanta frantically waved her arms around in the air, yelling over gales of laughter, "Shut up! Shut UP! You guys are so horrible!" She was ignored by her teammates, and the lithe Huntress turned and stomped away, her nose high in the air.

As soon as she reached her seat, the laughter began to die away. Until, the timid voice of Neil broke the silence, "'Lannie? _Can_ I sit with you?"

Howls of laughter shook the entire Hanger, and Hephaestus looked up from the video game he had been just seconds away from beating. "What in Atlantis is going on in there?"

What I'm starting to feel, it's the most fragile, and most powerful thing I've ever encountered...

"But Jay! All it would take is a few hours! It's not like it would be that out of the way!" Theresa rarely whined to get what she wanted, but with a non-compliant Jay standing in her way, she seemed to be willing to do just about anything to get her way.

Leaning forward in his seat beside her, Archie snorted, holding back his snickers. "Not that far out of the way? Theresa, we're going to the Netherlands, not to France."

"Hush." She snapped, not even glancing at him. Sulking, the Warrior leaned back in his seat. "Jay, come on! Me and Atlanta want to go shopping, or at least see Paris!"

Jay glanced over to Atlanta, who was in the middle of a heated argument with Neil. "I don't really think shopping is whats on Atlanta's mind right now." No one was sure what they were bickering about, but by this point, it didn't really matter.

"You're ridiculous! Why would we even want to try that?" Atlanta snapped at Neil, who scoffed and crossed his arms stubbornly.

"Only because it's a good idea, duh! Why are you always so negative?" He returned, frowning down at Atlanta.

The Huntress narrowed her eyes in irritation, "I'm negative because your ideas are stupid!"

"My ideas aren't stupid!"

"Yes they are!"

"Are not!"

"Are too!"

"Are not"

"Are too!"

"Guys!" Herry snapped, looking up from his magazine. "Don't make us separate you two!"

For a moment, there was silence as everyone looked at Herry in surprise. Then Archie started snickering, which was quickly silenced by a well aimed elbow courtesy of Theresa.

Atlanta got to her feet. "No need for that Herry. I'll move." With that, she walked stiffly away from the Charm, whose only reaction was to scowl at her back as she moved away.

With a huff, Atlanta sat down beside Theresa and Archie, crossing her arms and looking everywhere but at Neil, who now looked very similar to a lost puppy, sitting by himself on the far side of the Hover Jet. Theresa jabbed Archie with a slender finger. "Move Arch."

Grumbling, the Warrior got to his feet and walked over to where Neil was seated, glancing back to watch the two females move closer to each other and begin whispering. Rolling his eyes, he turned his back on them and plunked himself down beside Neil, who was still staring over at Atlanta with wounded eyes.

"Give it up already."

Neil jumped, his eyes sliding over to Archie, before he cleared his throat sheepishly, glancing away. "Well, she didn't have to storm off like that."

Archie rolled his eyes once more. "She's a girl. It's what they do."

"You... kinda have a point. Huh."

"What?" Archie asked, eying the Charm in irritation. "Do you think I know nothing about girls or something?"

"When was the last time you went on a date?"

His jaw dropped open in exasperation. "When was the last time _you _went on a date?"

The two boys continued squabbling, Atlanta and Theresa were still whispering together, now with identical smirks on their faces as they glanced at the two. Jay pinched his nose in frustration, Herry hunched lower behind his magazine, and Odie rolled his eyes from the pilot's seat.

Jay groaned as both girls began giggling madly. "Odie! Are we there _yet_?"

Brightening, Odie leaned forward, glancing at one of the computers before him before returning his eyes to the window. "Actually Jay, yea, we are!"

We dance over new worlds and leave the old behind...

"Alright guys, we've made it here in mostly one piece. Let's try to keep it that way here, and find out what we can about Equinox before we go running off to explore the castle." Jay called over the group, most of who weren't really listening.

Archie found himself frowning as he watched Theresa giggle at Jay, who was standing in front of the team with a determined look on his face. _What the heck? Theresa can giggle at who she wants. _Still scowling, the Warrior turned his head, suppressing a low growl. _But I'd rather she giggle at __**me!**_

"Ok. We've made it here without attracting too much attention to ourselves, and we know this is close to the place where Equinox once was. Now, I want to find out if any of the locals know about Equinox, or even about Castle Rotteln, before we go exploring up in the hills." Jay said, his voice confident and commanding.

Against his will, Archie felt some of his anger slide away. Since he and the Leader had set aside their disagreements, Jay had regained some of his former confidence. Archie was pleased, though he would never admit it, at how his friend was once again leading the team. Glancing to the side, Archie let a little grin appear on his face as he noticed Atlanta and Neil.

"But 'Lannie!! All I wanna do is check out some of the local shops! I promise I'll remember to ask about the dragon, and stuff." Neil begged, balancing unsteadily as he gripped his crutch.

Atlanta glared at the Charm, crossing her arms as she eyed him. "Neil, I don't care if you want to check out some of the shops. You are still not fully healed from what happened, and I don't want you hurting yourself while you're running around!"

Cracking a grin, Archie took a step over to Neil, throwing an arm around his shoulder. "I'd listen to her if I was you, Neil. 'Lannie can get pretty mean if she thinks someone she cares about is doing something stupid."

Beside them, Herry snorted, his own grin appearing on his face. "The question is, just how much does 'Lannie care 'bout you, eh Neil?"

"Herry! Shut up!" Cried a blushing Atlanta, who quickly turned away from the three boys, her arms crossed protectively over her chest.

"You boys are such dorks. Why do we put up with them again 'Lannie?" Theresa walked over to the group, bumping shoulders with the Huntress, who looked up with a smile.

"You know what, Terry?" She cocked her head to the side, eying the boys, all who were grinning somewhat guiltily. "I can't remember why we keep them. Are they amusing?"

"Hmm. Actually, most of the time, they aren't." Theresa mussed, one hand on her hip as she gave the boys a passing glance. Then, professionally flipping her hair over her shoulder, she turned away. "In fact, these guys are mostly boring. Lets' leave!"

With that, ignoring the protesting of the three, both girls linked arms, and walked away, immediately beginning to chatter about which shops they would explore.

And all three boys were left standing in the middle of the road, identical expressions of disbelief and confusion on their faces. Eventually, Archie let his arm drop from Neil's shoulders, and he rubbed at his nose with one hand, sighing. "Girls. Man, I think I'll never understand 'em."

Herry scratched his head, squinting in the direction the girls left in. "You and me both buddy."

Jay, who until that moment had been arguing with Odie over whether or not they should lock the Hover Jet, looked up and frowned. "Hey. Where'd the girls go?"

I'm changing things about me, and I have you to thank...

Glancing around, Archie found himself in a normal, everyday, run-of-the-mill, _ordinary _town. No one was wearing eccentric clothing, no one had unusual hair, none of the vehicles visible were new or fancy, all of the buildings had all their windows in place, the street was paved, there were no sidewalks, and besides a few wary glances, no one was paying much attention to him. In short, Illianid was _**boring**_. And, since he was alone, there was no one to complain to about it.

Jay, once informed that the girls had ditched to look for clues about Equinox – see 'shop' – decided that splitting up to explore the town was a good idea. After convincing Odie and Neil to stay with the Hover Jet (Neil because of his wounds, Odie because of his nervousness around what he called 'potential dragon snacks'), Jay, Herry and Archie had started for town. Then, Jay and Herry had started arguing about which was the more rewarding pastime, sailing or eating, and Archie decided it was time to leave.

Now, he wandered about the town of Illianid, which was seriously making him question whether or not he had chosen the right town, or not. There was nothing exciting about the place.

"Desino! Man, you are such a freak!"

Frowning, Archie's feet came to a stop as he looked around. The harsh tones of the voice were ones used by someone who was laughing at someone. _But where...? _

"Leave me alone guys! My friend is waiting for me!" A young boy's pleading voice made a surge of anger rise in the Warrior's belly. He had always had a strict intolerance of bullies.

Harsh laughter sounded from a nearby alleyway and with a dark scowl on his face, the Warrior started forward.

Turning the corner, he paused to view the situation. Three large, bulking boys, all standing shoulder to shoulder with identical sneers of contempt on their faces, looking down at a thin youth, who Archie could only catch a glimpse of. He had only caught a glimpse of the youth's wide oddly colored eyes before the three boys turned around to look at him.

"What do you want?" Asked the boy in the middle, the ringleader of the trio. He glared at the older youth, whose appearance was so different it was shocking, and Archie only sneered coldly.

"You kids having fun, pickin' on someone smaller than you?" His voice was low and dangerously angry, but the trio did not back down. Yet.

"Desino? He's a freak! He don't fit in, an' he don't look like us!" Snapped the boy on the left side of the group.

Archie's temper flared. _That's far too familiar to be comfortable. _"So, what? If someone doesn't look like you, or act like you, you taunt them and make fun of them?"

Growling dangerously, the Warrior stepped forward, his fists clenched as he advanced closer. The boy on the right reacted first.

"No way I'm sticking around!" Stumbling away, the boy escaped down the alley, not glancing back once.

The middle boy looked thunderstruck. "Donnie! What the hell?"

Before Archie could take another step, both remaining youths turned tail and ran, escaping down the alley and shouting back insults that the Warrior didn't even bother to listen to.

Smirking, Archie glanced down the the youth still on the ground, who was staring up at him with an awed expression. Holding out a hand, he said, "Archie."

For a moment, the youth hesitated, before he took the proffered hand and was pulled to his feet. A grateful smile appeared on his face as he said, "Desino."

/

A.N.: Ok! There's chapter Twelve! A little more lighthearted, and possibly a little silly, but that doesn't bother me.

I now have a full time job that I sorta-kinda hate. Thus, updates will probably be a little farther apart, but they will come, I promise.

Oh, oh, one more thing. A few chapters ago I mentioned a link in my profile you could use to see a picture of what Equinox looked like. That is still there, but theres a new link in my profile you can use to see what Castle Rotteln looks like. Take a gander, it's pretty impressive!

Thanks for reading, and if ya don't mind, review!

Review!


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